The Princess and the Puppet
by Rebecca Cullen 1991
Summary: After they enter the wardrobe Pinocchio decides to stick with baby Emma. Just my take of what would happen while they grew up together.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note-**

**Hello, I've just finished watching episode 20 of Once Upon a Time and I had to write something! I haven't uploaded a story in a while so I hope you all enjoy it. **

Emma lay in bed, clinging to her baby blanket and listening to the thunder storm that was raging outside. She was a little scared but didn't want to admit it, Okio always told her to be brave.

Another clash of thunder however soon sent little Emma out of bed. She had to keep quiet. She knew if she was caught sneaking around the house this late she'd be in trouble. She snuck down the hallway to the small room at the end. She didn't knock before she entered but she knew he wouldn't be mad at her. Okio was the only person that loved Emma and he never got mad at her like the other big kids did.

"Okio? Okio wake up. Wake up please." Emma shook her friend as hard as she could, all the while keeping a tight hold on her blanket.

"Huh? Emma what is it? Are you ok?"Pinocchio asked her quietly knowing that the little girl wouldn't come to him in the middle of the night if it wasn't important. No one wanted to get in trouble with any of the adults.

"I don't like the storm. I tried to be brave, I really did. Can I sit with you for a while?" Pinocchio couldn't say no to Emma's little face, especially when her lower lip trembled like it was.

"Of course you can." Emma climbed onto the bed and snuggled in next to Pinocchio.

"Can you tell me a story?" Emma asked charmingly.

"What about?" The boy asked even though he already knew.

"About the magic world where my mommy and daddy live." Emma grinned clinging to her blanket in excitement.

"Once upon a time there was a beautiful Princess and a handsome Prince. They lived in a magical world, where they ruled a glorious kingdom. They were loved by everyone except the evil witch. She hated Snow White and swore that she would destroy everything that she held dear. The Princess was scared but then she found out she was going to have a baby-"

"Me!" Emma squealed gleefully.

"Yes but remember we have to keep quiet." Pinocchio gently shushed her. Emma nodded placing her finger on her lips. "Yes they found out they were going to have you, a beautiful baby Princess who they loved more that anything else in the entire realm. However they knew that the evil witch planned on cursing them all so they decided to get help from Geppeto. They asked Geppeto to carve a magic wardrobe, from the last remaining enchanted tree, to take Snow White and her baby to a place without magic. But before Snow White could get in the wardrobe she gave birth to the baby and the curse started approaching the castle! Geppeto sent his only child through the wardrobe to protect the baby Princess and he promised that he would protect and guide the girl through life until it was time for her to fulfil her destiny." Pinocchio finished the story feeling yet again guilty that he had ruined Emma's chance to have her mother with her right now.

"Why didn't my mommy and daddy come with us? They could have looked after us and we could have lived in a pretty castle here! Then we wouldn't have to live with smelly old Miss Hunter." Emma's face scrunched up in distaste at the woman that was in charge of their care.

"Emma, I haven't told you the entire story…" Pinocchio looked away from Emma not being able to stand the trusting look on her five year old face.

"What else happened?" Emma asked eagerly, scrunching up her baby blanket in excitement.

"The wardrobe only had enough magic to transport two. I shouldn't have come with you. Your mom was meant to; my father wanted me to be safe so he sent me with you to this world. I'm sorry; if I just refused to get in the wardrobe then you wouldn't be stuck in this home." Pinocchio glanced at Emma whose face was scrunched up in confusion.

"My mommy could have come with me?" Emma asked tilting her head to the side.

"Yes." The young boy whispered feeling very ashamed.

"But then you wouldn't be here." Her brow furrowed as she thought of the possibility of not having her best friend with her in this world.

"No I wouldn't, you would live with your mother Snow White." Pinocchio told the small child, trying to make her understand.

"I'm glad you came with me, it would be boring without you. My mommy and our daddy's saved us both from the evil witch. We'll see them again wont we, Okio? When we're bigger." Emma trusted whatever her friend said and if he told her she would see her parents again she wasn't going to doubt him.

"Yes you're going to save them all and I'm going to help you anyway I can." Emma and Pinocchio grinned broadly at each other at the thought of the adventure that awaited them.

"The storms stopped Emma, listen." The rain still fell lightly but other that that it was quiet.

"You're right!" Emma yawned sleepily. "Goodnight Okio, thanks for the story." Emma wrapped her little arms around him tightly and then hopped out of bed taking her blanket with her.

"Goodnight little Princess." Pinocchio whispered as Emma tiptoed out of the room.

The boy didn't know what the future held for either of them but he knew his little friend could face anything and he would be there every step of the way, just like he promised.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again! Thanks for the amazing response to my story. I'm not sure how long this will last, I'm writing whatever comes into my head :) **

Emma slammed the door and stomped through their foster parents' house as she arrived home from school one afternoon in spring.

"What's wrong Em?" Pinocchio asked frowning in worry at the seven year old.

"I don't want to talk about it." The little girl snapped.

Pinocchio knew she had a temper on her and it was best to let her cool off when she was upset but he was never one for playing it safe.

"Emma if you don't talk about things they just get worse. You'll feel better if you talk about it rather than bottling all of your feelings away." He tried to reason but this only seemed to make things worse.

"How do you know? Maybe I don't want to talk to you!" She crossed her arms angrily as Pinocchio tried to think what he could have done to upset her. He hadn't drunk the last of the hot chocolate again had he? No he had learnt his lesson last time. He shuddered a little at the memory.

"I don't know what I've done but whatever it is I'm really sorry." At fourteen Pinocchio had learnt that sometimes it was just better to apologise to Emma and hope for the best than have to put up with a tantrum.

Emma huffed and rolled her eyes angrily at him and at what she thought was a lame attempt at an apology.

"Come on Princess tell me what's wro-" The boy was cut off by Emma's shouting.

"I'm not a princess! Stop being a big liar. All your stories are stupid; it's not nice to tell lies Oki!" Emma's eyes had flooded with tears and her lower lip trembled.

"What's all this shouting about?" Mrs Lang asked as she came running into the room.

She was a nice woman, the nicest person that had cared for the two children in this world but she was getting on in life and Pinocchio suspected that they wouldn't be with her much longer.

"I'm not August's friend anymore!" Emma said stomping her foot.

"Why not Emma? What happened?" Mrs Lang knew that August would never do anything to hurt Emma, she had never seen to children care for each other the way these two did.

Pinocchio still hadn't said anything. He couldn't even if he tried. It felt like his heart was being torn to pieces. Emma had never said she wasn't his friend before. Sure they had had fights but not to the extent that she cried.

"He's a big, fat liar!" Emma rubbed her tears away furiously while glaring over Mrs Lang's shoulder at August.

"Em please, tell me what I've lied about because I'm sure I didn't mean to. I never lie; you of all people know that." Emma was an expert at spotting a lie. Pinocchio walked towards the little girl and crouched beside the woman that was busy trying to sooth the crying child.

"Magic. It's all a lie! Sarah Elliot at school said that you made it up and were lying." Emma wasn't shouting anymore but her voice was still ice cold.

"Why don't I leave you two alone and I'll make some hot chocolate." Mrs Lang stood up smiling encouragingly at Pinocchio. Emma had told her little bits of the story and although this could be dangerous Pinocchio wasn't worried. He knew that the woman thought it was sweet Emma had dreams of being a princess and having a royal mother and father somewhere that loved her. Who was she to destroy those beliefs?

"Emma I didn't lie about magic. You have to believe me, we came from another world. I wouldn't lie about that." Emma didn't look convinced although she didn't argue back either. "You have parents that love you; they wouldn't want you to give in."

"But what if you're wrong, people tell kids that things are real all of the time and their lying. All the kids in my class believe in Santa Clause and the Tooth Fairy but you said that magic doesn't exist so they obviously don't exist. What if your dad lied to you?" Emma looked unsure of her whole world. Pinocchio took her small hands in his as he thought how hard it would be to believe in something that seemed so impossible when growing up in the world that they were.

"Magic is a special thing Emma. People like to believe, or at least try to. It gives people hope and makes them happier. It does exist, I promise you it does. Your friends haven't seen magic or our world and I know you were only a part of it for a short while and don't remember any of it but you were a part of it and it's a part of you. We're going to go back one day Emma. You'll be with your parents and I'll show you all the magic you want to see but for now I need you to trust me. Can you do that?" He squeezed her hands gently and she gave him a small, watery smile.

"Do you think my mom and dad would let me get a unicorn?" Pinocchio laughed as Emma looked at him hopefully.

"Unicorns don't really make good pets but I'm sure they'll get you a pony." Pinocchio promised making the little girl smile wildly.

"That would be good to." Emma nodded her head, as though she approved of the gift she was yet to receive, the movement making her blond pigtails bob up and down.

"Hot chocolate is ready you two." Mrs Lang sang, popping her head around the doorframe.

Pinocchio led a now happy Emma to the kitchen, where as Mrs Lang promised their hot chocolate was waiting.

"Would you like some chocolate powder sprinkled on top?" Mrs Lang asked Emma, pointing to the tub of chocolate on one of her many shelves in her packed kitchen.

"No thanks. What's that?" Emma asked pointing at the tub next to the chocolate powder.

"That's called cinnamon." Mrs Lang told the curious, little girl while she sipped her drink.

"Can I have some of that on my hot chocolate instead?" Pinocchio scrunched up his face in distasted.

"Are you sure? It mightn't taste as good as the chocolate powder." Mrs Lang had a hard time saying no to Emma, the little girl could be very charming when she wanted to be.

"Yes I'm sure. I think it's going to taste yummy!" Emma giggled excitedly as Mrs Lang sprinkled the cinnamon over the top of her hot chocolate.

"How is it?" Pinocchio asked once Emma had taken a drink.

"It's delicious! I'm never going to drink my hot chocolate without cinnamon again." Emma grinned, while Mrs Lang and Pinocchio laughed at her creamy moustache.

"What's so funny?" Emma asked, feeling a little embarrassed that they seemed to be laughing at her.

"Nothing, you just look a little more like an Emmett rather than an Emma at the minute." Pinocchio teased while Emma continued to look confused.

"Stop teasing Emmett, August." Mrs Lang winked, while using her sleeve to wipe Emma's mouth. "You had a cream moustache sweetheart."

"Who's Emmett?" Emma brow furrowed as she looked between the other two who were once again laughing.

"Never mind Emma, just ignore us." Mrs Lang smiled as she got up to start dinner.

Emma and Pinocchio headed up the stairs to the study to begin their homework.

"Do they have hot chocolate at home?" Emma wondered out loud.

"Of course we do, we have cinnamon to. A world without hot chocolate wouldn't be a world worth living in." Pinocchio joked while Emma sighed in relief.

"You're right Oki, it wouldn't." He had to suppress a laugh as the little girls love for the chocolate drink.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello sorry it's been so long, I was silly and broke my computer so now I'm using my brothers, which I hate! So I apologise if there are any stupid mistakes, the computer doesn't even have spell check, I've had to use one off of Google. Anyway enjoy!**

Pinocchio was sat alone in his apartment when the phone rang. He was meant to be meeting Emma later in the day, he was taking her for pizza at the mall, which was one of the only things she deemed 'cool' these days.

Pinocchio had moved out on his own when he was eighteen, he had applied for custody of Emma but no adult in their right mind would put an eighteen year old in charge of an eleven year old girl. So Emma remained in care and they got to see each other a couple of times a week, it wasn't as good as living with her but at least they still got to see each other.

"Hello?" No one hardly rang Pinocchio, occasionally Emma but that was rare these days, she was fourteen and was what everyone described as a 'moody teenager'.

"Mr Booth?" A woman's voice asked.

"Yes, who is this?" He asked curiously, thinking he recognised the voice.

"This is Ms Grey. I run the foster home where Miss Emma Swan lives-" Pinocchio interrupted her before she could say anything else.

"Is she ok, what's happened?" They never rang about Emma, he wasn't responsible for her, well not according to them.

"Yes shes fine, however she is in trouble. I was wondering if you could come down and speak to me, I was hoping you could help." What had she done now? Emma had been getting in trouble a lot lately, not that he was ever told directly, it was normally obvious when Emma had to canceled plans since she was grounded.

He agreed to meet with Ms Grey and hung up the phone. He made it to the foster home within half an hour and made his way towards the woman's office.

From the interactions he had had with Ms Grey he knew she was a strickt woman and at the minute he felt as though he was about to meet with the Evil Queen not a ordinary human. He knocked and waited.

"Hello Mr Booth, please take a seat." Ms Grey said once she had opened the door for him.

He did as instructed and waited for Ms Grey to tell him what had happened.

"Emma was caught last night sneaking back into the house after curfew, she wouldn't say what she was doing out so late and has refused to leave her room. I don't think forcing her to do anything will help she's... stubborn." Pinocchio had a feeling that the woman wanted to say something a little more insulting.

"So you want me to talk to her?" He wondered what else Emma had been up to lately that made Ms Grey call him of all people.

"Yes, I think that if you talk about her behavior and how she should correct it then maybe she'll behave. After all if she carries on the way she has bean acting she would be to stay here, there's no telling where she'll end up." The woman's threat hung heavily in the air. He couldn't lose Emma and he couldn't afford to follow her across the country to wherever she was sent.

"I'll talk to her, she'll behave." She had to or they would be separated for who knows how long!

"Emma its me, can I come in?" Pinocchio shouted through her bedroom door.

"What you doing here? I was going to call and tell you I couldn't make it for pizza today." Emma lied as she opened the door, he might not have Emma's power of spotting lies but he knew her and could almost always spot her lies.

"Why do you need to cancel?" he asked feigning ignorance.

"I've got tones of homework and you know me, I always leave it until the last minute." Emma chuckled awkwardly.

"Hmm... I thought you had to cancel because you were caught sneaking back into the house after curfew but maybe I'm wrong." Pinocchio said, raising his eyebrow.

"If you already knew why did you bother to ask?" Emma huffed and turned towards the second hand desk in the corner of her room.

Her room was clean but not really what you'd expect from a teenage girl. There weren't man personal items and most of the furniture had been donated or bought second hand. Pinocchio wondered, not for the first time, what Emma's life would have been like if Snow White had came through the wardrobe with her.

"Emma, what were you doing out so late?" She still had her back to him staring at the wall. "Em don't ignore me." He sighed when she didn't answer his question.

"You'll just get mad so what's the point of even trying to explain?" She sighed and turned to look at him, her eyes all stormy.

"I won't be mad." She raised an eyebrow, spotting the lie as soon as it left his lips. "Well I'll at least try and stay cam." He reasoned.

"I went to meet Jamie." She sighed. I raised an eyebrow, i had never heard of this Jamie. "He's a boy I go to school with." I bit my tongue to keep me from shouting.

"Carry on. What did you meet him for?" On the outside Pinocchio acted calm but inside his head he was planning al the ways he could hunt down and kill this kid.

"We just hung out it the park!" Emma said rising her voice slightly, she knew what Pinocchio would be thinking. She knew him almost as well as she knew herself.

"I don't care what the pair of you were doing! You do not leave this house after curfew!" He shouted at the girl but at the same time felt relieved hat hanging out at the park was the worst she was doing.

"You said you wouldn't get mad!" Emma screamed back.

"I said I'd try and stay calm! I did try! Can't you behave Emma? You're not a little kid anymore, you can't get out of things by just saying sorry and looking cute! Do you want to sent away, because that's what will happen if you carry on like this?" Pinocchio was breathing heavily when he finished his rant, Emma on the other hand could barely breath. She could fee the lump in her throat throb painfully and her vision was clouded by salty tears.

"I don't want to be sent away." Emma whispered, barely managing to get her words out. "I hate it here, no one likes me. All the girls hate me, Jamie is the only one who actually listens. You're hardly here anymore, you have to work all of the time and I understand that but it doesn't mean I can't hate it." Emma sat on her bed and her friend went and joined her, he felt guilty that Emma had been feeling so abandoned.

"I'm sorry I haven't been here that often. I've been saving up some money. Can I tell you a secret?" Emma nodded, it had been a long time since her friend told her a new secret. "I've been saving to go traveling. Once you're eighteen we can pack up and head to the airport, we'll get on the next plane that's leaving. We'll travel around the world and leave all of this behind us. That is if you want to?" Emma felt like laughing, that was exactly what she wanted.

"That sounds amazing Oki!" She hugged her best friend with all her strength. "Thank you." She grinned widely, not even caring anymore that she was grounded.

"I know that doesn't sort your problems out here but just ignore those girls. Their jealous." Emma could tell Pinocchio believed what he was telling her but...

"Jealous? Of what?" Emma had no idea what she had that the other girls here did not.

"Emma you're the daughter of Prince James and Princess Snow White AKA 'The Fairest Of Them All', you have to have gotten you charming good looks from somewhere. The other girls don't like that, they can be a little catty sometimes." Again Emma couldn't hear a lie in her friends words but could she really be the daughter of fairytales or was her friend just a very imaginative child?

"Being a teenager is so confusing! You really think that's why?" Emma grumbled,missing the cheeky glint in Pinocchio's eye.

"Yeah... or maybe its because you're really annoying?" Emma grabbed her pillow and chucked it off the mans head while he laughed.

"Everything will work out ok Em, you'll see." Emma knew he wasn't just on about her current living situation. He was referring to the curse, it breaking, everyone being free...

"Do you think they'll be proud?" Emma couldn't help wanting to believe, what kid wouldn't? What was wrong with wanting to believe you had parents out there somewhere that loved you?

"Of course they will be Em. I don't think theres anything in this world or any other that you could do wrong to make them love you any less." Emma let the words settle over her, making her feel happy, safe and peaceful.

"I'll behave, I promise." Emma hoped she could keep the promise she had just made sometimes trouble seemed to find her.

"Or you'll at least try." Pinocchio said with a smirk, knowing Emma to well.


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm so sorry about how long it's taken me to update! This chapter has been the hardest to write so far, I was hit with a series case of writers block! I'm still not 100% happy with it but you've all waited long enough so I hope you enjoy :)**

**Also I'd like to say thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this, it makes me so happy :)**

**Anyway I'll let you read this chapter now!**

Pinocchio climbed the four flights of stairs up to his apartment. The lift had been broken for five months now and nothing had been don't fix it, which was a shame because he could have used it right about now. His arms were loaded with birthday treats and surprises for his now new roommate Emma. She was turning eighteen today and was wasting no time before she moved in. Not that it mattered, Pinocchio had a birthday surprise that she would never forget, and he wanted this to be a new start for both of them.

"Emma?" He called, once he had finally gotten the front door open. He was met with only silence. "Em? Where are you?" She hadn't mentioned going out anywhere.

"I- I'll be out in a second." Her voice sounded shaky and scared.

Pinocchio was never any good at letting Emma be alone when she was upset, when she was angry, maybe but never upset. "Em, can I come in?" He said knocking on her new bedroom door. When there wasn't an answer he pushed the door slowly, giving her a chance to send him away if she wished. He was careful not to drop the present stack that was currently balancing in his arms.

Emma was sitting in the middle of her bed hugging her knees to her chest. Her eyes were rimmed red and this scene only made Pinocchio think of one person.

"What's he done?" He was so angry at the sight of her crying that his hands were shaking.

Emma had been dating a piece of lowlife scum and that was putting it nicely. They had broken up a month ago, not that that had kept him away; he had been hanging around begging her to take him back.

"Nothing. Forget about it." Emma rubbed her eyes and then forced a smile onto her face.

Pinocchio wanted to object but to be perfectly honest he didn't want to talk about the scruffy kid either.

"Are those for me?" Emma asked about gesturing to the stack of presents in his hands. She wiped her eyes one last time and then got off her bed.

"Yes they are. Do you want them now?" Pinocchio grinned, he couldn't wait to give her the surprise.

"Definitely!" Pinocchio could tell she was faking her excitement but he knew that his present would cheer her up, no matter what that idiot had done.

"Ok come and sit down." He led her into the small living room and sat her on the couch.

"All of these are for me?" Emma wasn't used to people spoiling her and Pinocchio had gotten her several presents far more than she had ever received before.

"Of course, it's an important birthday. You deserve it all Em." She smiled sweetly at him and took the parcel he was handing her.

"This is all too much Oki; it must have cost you a fortune!" Emma couldn't believe how much he had bought, especially when she was about to be the biggest disappointment ever.

"Actually Emma it only put a small dint in my savings." Pinocchio smiled mischievously while Emma sat confused.

"Savings?" Emma wasn't aware Pinocchio had any savings; he worked constantly just to get by each week. How could he have savings?

"I've been working every shift I can get my hands on the last couple of years, actually probably longer. Anyway I've been saving to buy these." He handed her an envelope and motioned her to open it.

Emma held the two pieces of card board that her friend had decorated himself. It was white card with pictures of little palm trees, aeroplanes and suitcase's stuck all over with writing that said 'This card entitles the holder to a travelling experience that they will never forget! Leaving date: Depends on how fast you can pack. Return date: Never hopefully.' Emma's eyes began filling up once again.

"Oki I can't." She cried as she clutched the bits of cardboard in her hand.

"If this is about money then stop worrying Emma, I have some savings to help us live. Plus we can gets jobs-" Emma couldn't stand to hear the life he had dreamt for them, she had to cut him off.

"I'm pregnant." The silence hung in the air once Emma had spoken.

"What? How?" Pinocchio stuttered out. His face was pale and he was staring at Emma with wide eyes.

"How do you think?" Emma shouted, her panic getting the better of her.

"I'm going to kill him!" Pinocchio threatened. How dare that worthless, piece of dirt even touch Emma!

"Good luck getting to him, he's been arrested." Not that Emma cared she didn't need him, he was bad news. She had always known that but at least he didn't expect her to be anyone but herself. She wasn't Princess Emma, The Saviour. She was just something to keep him occupied.

"Oh Em you sure do know how to pick them!" Pinocchio rolled his eyes sarcastically. "What did he do this time? Murder?" The man laughed without any humour.

"Armed robbery." Emma growled back.

"Great! I hope they throw the book at him! You're better off without him. You and the baby. I hope you know that!" Emma's temper flared.

"Yes I do! I broke up with him remember! Stop treating me like I'm stupid." Emma half growled, half shouted.

"You're pregnant at eighteen! You are stupid!" He shouted back. He regretted the words almost instantly as Emma's face dropped and then became a mask of rage.

"What the hell! How dare you! You're not my father. You don't get to lecture me!" Emma screamed, angry tears threatening to spill from her eyes. She ran to her room before he had a chance to reply.

"Emma!" He shouted while following her into her practically empty room. All it held were a bed and boxes that she was yet to unpack; he feared she never would.

"Get out!" She screamed shrilly, tears now streaming down her sobbing face. "G-get o-out!" She slammed the door leaving him standing helplessly outside.

Hours later the small home was silent. Pinocchio was still sitting outside of his friends' bedroom door and Emma's sobs had subsided.

Their lives, which had seemed so perfect to Pinocchio only hours earlier, were now were in tatters. A baby. Another baby. He remembered how hard they were. They always needed to be watched and cried a lot, they cost thousands, far more than his savings would cover. He thought about how their carers had gotten up at all hours of the night to sooth the crying child. He remembered how some nights Pinocchio would sneak out of bed and see to Emma himself. He'd sing her songs and make funny faces into her crib; she'd smile and giggle, reaching for him with her little pudgy hands. He remembered her first birthday party. The people they were staying with at the time had thrown for her. He remembered that they were nice; he couldn't remember much about them other than that. He had been worrying that no one would remember his little friend's birthday but they had, they helped him plan a party and they even made cakes. It was hard to believe that that was seventeen years ago. She wasn't that cute little baby anymore, she was a woman. A woman that was about to have her own child.

"Emma?" Pinocchio called quietly through the door, knocking quietly.

"What?" He heard her sniff. She was obviously still angry at him.

He opened the door and sat on the bed next to her, where she was leaning, hugging her knees, against the headboard.

"I'm sorry Em. I was way out of line." Emma could tell he was, they were both said thinks they didn't mean.

"I know. Me to." She rested her head on his shoulder. "What am I going to do?"

"Emma you're one of the smartest people that I know, you can do this." She lifted her head off of his shoulders and rested it on her knees.

"I don't think I can." He heard her squeak.

"What do you mean?" What did she want to do about the baby?

"Maybe the baby could get adopted. I'm terrified. I know I'd be a rubbish mother; I can't even look after myself properly, never mind a baby!" Tears were glistening in her eyes again making Pinocchio want to cry at the sight of them.

"Now you are being stupid. Emma you'd be a great mother. You're caring, brave, selfless and so much more. You can do anything you put your mind to."

"Oki you gave me that same speech when I told you I wanted to become the Queen of England." Pinocchio laughed at the memory of seven year old Emma deciding that since she was a Princess she wanted to one day become the Queen of England.

"Fair enough, that one you can't do but you can do this Em. You wouldn't have to do it alone; I'd be there to help. Uncle Oki to the rescue, I'd even change the dirty diapers." She laughed a little at him but Pinocchio could tell it was a little strained.

He wasn't sure why her keeping this baby was so important to him but it was. Maybe it had something to do with the fact their parents had given them up to save them. He didn't want this child to grow up not knowing Emma, like Emma was with her parents.

"Could you really live in a world where you knew your child was being raised by someone else?" Emma tried not to think about that fact that that was what her parents were most likely doing. She didn't want to think about how much Oki believed his stories about the fairy tale land that they both apparently came from.

"It would be hard but if it was its best chance…" Emma trailed off. Could she do it? Could she give her baby to others to raise?

"That baby's best chance is here with us, you know better than anyone what it's like growing up without parents. You got yourself into this mess; you need to live with the consequences." He wasn't harsh just stating facts.

"You're right. How hard can a baby really be?" Oki's face lit up in delight and Emma hoped for her baby's sake that she had made the right decision.


	5. Chapter 5

**Enjoy!**

_A small boy, around the age of seven stood in front of Emma. Somehow she knew that this boy was her son. _

"_What's wrong?" She asked noticing the stress on the boy's face. _

"_You have to save them. You're the saviour." The child said in a panicked voice. _

"_No I'm not. Oki's wrong." The little boy shook his head furiously. _

"_He's right! You have to save them all! Your mother and father need you." He pointed behind Emma so she turned cautiously._

_Behind her stood Snow White from the Disney movie, along with her Prince Charming. _

"_This is crazy! You can't believe this; you need to stop believing this! It's not healthy!" Emma was becoming distressed. _

"_I have to believe, Pinocchio wouldn't lie. You're the saviour." His voice was getting farther away and Emma struggled to hear what he was telling her. Her whole body was shaking._

"Emma! Emma! Wake up!" At least Emma knew why she was shaking. Pinocchio sat over her shaking her shoulders trying to wake her from her nightmare.

"I'm ok." It was then that Emma noticed the tear tracks running down her face.

"Sure you are. I often scream like a crazy person in my sleep. It happens at least twice a week." The man said sarcastically causing Emma to roll her eyes.

"I'm fine." Emma said ignoring his use of the phrase 'scream like a crazy person'. She rubbed her almost nine month pregnant stomach as she felt her unborn baby move around inside.

"What were you dreaming about? It must have been something bad, you sounded terrified." She knew she couldn't tell him. He would be devastated to think that she feared for her unborn child's sanity growing up around a man that believed he used to be a wooden puppet.

"It was stupid, just forget about it. I'll tell you what would make me feel better." Emma smirked knowing that he'd already know what she was going to ask for.

"Hmm… what makes Emma feel better?" He pretended to think. "Hot chocolate with extra cinnamon?"

"How did you guess?" She asked in mock surprise.

"Well since you've been having several cups a day for the last few months, it wasn't that hard. That baby's going to come out demanding hot chocolate with cinnamon!" Emma laughed knowing he was most likely right, she had a constant craving for the chocolaty drink.

"Just go and get our drink! The baby's thirsty." Emma chucked a pillow at her friend who ducked it expertly, before running out the room and towards the kitchen.

Pinocchio finished off the drink by dusting on cinnamon.

"Here you go." He smiled handing Emma her drink.

"Thank you. I'm sorry I woke you." Emma said feeling bad that her screaming had caused him to wake up in the middle of the night.

"Don't worry about it. Just drink your hot chocolate, I've slaved away over that, you better enjoy it! Both of you." Emma smiled and sipped the hot beverage.

"I know I wasn't overly thrilled about the idea of you having a baby but I've got to admit that I am excited." Pinocchio patted her stomach while Emma forced down her hot chocolate.

Emma winced as a cramping pain shot through her stomach.

"What's wrong?!" Pinocchio panicked, his hands hovered around Emma as though he was afraid to touch her.

"I-I think I just had a contraction." Emma felt as though she was going to throw up and after a trimester of morning sickness she certainly knew the feeling.

"Oh! Erm…hospital! We need to get you to the hospital!" He then ran out of the room leaving Emma alone. She wasn't sure whether to laugh at Oki's craziness or cry at the situation she had gotten them into. This was no place for a baby.

"I have your bag! I told you it was a good idea to pack early." He then helped her up and led her outside to his truck.

Thirty minutes later it was confirmed that she was in fact in labour.

"Well things are moving swiftly. You're a natural at this Emma." The midwife smiled down at Emma, who was lying in a hospital bed.

A natural? Emma doubted it, this kid was going to be cursed living with her. What did she have to give it? It wasn't even like they had that much money now. Pinocchio had insisted on paying for Emma's medical bills and expenses and since Emma had no money she couldn't really put up much of a fight.

"Daddy, are you ready to meet your little one?" Emma flushed bright red, did the woman just call August 'Daddy'.

"I- I'm not the father. I'm just a friend." Emma giggled a little at Pinocchio's flustered response.

"He's practically my older brother." Emma told the older woman, who nodded.

Five hours of pain and countless pushes later Emma was presented with a baby boy.

"Em, he's a beauty." August whispered looking at the sleeping baby in Emma's arms.

"He is." Emma couldn't help the tears that slipped down her face.

"Hey what's the matter?" The young man brushed a strand of Emma's hair back of her sweaty forehead.

"I can't do this." Emma whimpered, softly kissing her new- born sons head.

"What do you mean? Of course you can." She could hear the panic in his voice although she didn't look at him; instead she kept her eyes on the sleeping baby in her arms.

"It wouldn't be right. Certainly not what is best for him!" Emma's throat constricted at the thought of never seeing the baby grow up but she knew it was the right thing to do. She would make sure he found a loving family and a stable home.

"Being with his mother is what is best for him Emma!" August's voice rose slightly. "You have me, I can help you." The baby stirred in her arms, startled by the sound of angry voices.

"Maybe that's what I'm afraid of!" She hissed before she could stop herself.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The confusion on his face was obvious. Did he honestly not see that she was doing the right thing?

"How can we provide for him? Kids are expensive, I'm unemployed and no offense, but your job doesn't exactly allow you to roll in the cash." She tried to reason with him, tried to show him something he might understand.

"We'd manage! You're just emotional at the minute; your hormones are all over the place. People get like this all the time after childbirth." Fury rose inside Emma. How dare he accuse her of taking this so lightly. This wasn't some hormonal episode!

"I've been looking into adoption for the last three months. I wasn't sure what I would do until now. I've never loved anyone as much as I love this baby and that's why I have to give him to someone who can rais-" August cut her off angrily.

"God Emma, stop! Stop being ridiculous! You _have_ to raise him!" How dare he, he was her baby, not his, not _theirs_. She would decide what was best for him.

"No August, I don't!" His face was a mask of horror and pain and Emma was sure why until she played back her words in her mind. She had called him August, she only did that if there were people around.

"When did I become 'August' to you?" His voice was quiet now. She would have rather had him shouting than sounding hurt.

"I don't know." Emma shrugged, she was being truthful she didn't know the exact moment that she stopped believing in his stories. When he made the transition from 'Pinocchio the real boy' to 'August the story teller'.

"Do you still believe?" He looked a mixture between betrayed and angry; he had never looked at her like that.

"I haven't for a long time." Emma replied after a long pause.

"Emma, you're the saviour. You're parents put you through that wardrobe to save your life and so one day you could safe theirs! If you don't believe then I've failed and they've lost any chance that they ever had!" He was back to shouting again, part of Emma marvelled at how the baby was sleeping through it all.

"You told me once that my parents put me through that wardrobe to give me my best chance. Has it ever occurred to you that I want the same thing for my child? Maybe the life that I've lived has been better than the one I could have had with my birth parents? I want this little boy to find someone that can love and provide for him, give him a stable home. I can love him but I can't give him the life he deserves." Emma knew that August wasn't budging; he wasn't even truly listening to her. He was almost as stubborn as she was.

"You're so selfish! Do you know that? All you ever think about is yourself!" Pinocchio raged, not caring if his words hurt Emma. "Have you stopped to think what that kids going to have to grow up with? He'll think he was unloved, that his mother didn't want him."

"Believe me; I've thought about it, I've grown up with that feeling myself! This is different; I'm not going to abandon my baby at the side of a road! Unlike me, he will know that I wanted what was best for him, he'll know the truth! Not some crazy, mixed up fairy-tale version of why his parents didn't want him! Just get out August! Leave me alone!" Emma's shouting woke the baby and brought in the on duty nurse.

"What's all the noise?" She asked disapprovingly over the babies cries.

"Don't worry about it, I was just leaving." August growled before storming out of the room and out of Emma's life.

**I'm sorry, please don't hate me! I know that a lot of you wanted Emma to keep Henry but I never planned that, I had always planned for Emma and August to fall out over Henry's adoption. Don't worry too much though, I'm sure that there will be a happy ending… eventually ;) **


	6. Chapter 6

**Ok we've time jumped a bit in this chapter. You'll recognise some of the lines in this chapter, they don't belong to me. They are from the wonderful show we all know and love! **

Emma threw her key on the table in the hall once she arrived home. She had been working all night, hunting down slimy dirt bags, what a way to spend her twenty-eighth birthday.

She had spent the majority of her birthdays alone over the last ten years; for once she wished that she didn't have to be alone today. She sighed blowing out the single candle that sat atop the muffin she had bought for this lonely occasion.

A knock on the door brought Emma out of her self-pitting thoughts.

She opened the door to find a young boy standing at her door way.

"Urr… Can I help you?" She didn't have much experience with kids but she knew that they shouldn't be out late, knocking on strangers doors.

"Are you Emma Swan?" He asked directly.

"Yeah, who are you?" She asked suspiciously.

"My name's Henry. I'm your son." The kid smiled.

"Hey kid, kid, kid!" She called as he squeezed by her and walked into her apartment. "I don't have a son! Where are you parents?!" The boy walked by her into the apartment with her following quickly behind him.

"Ten years ago, did you give a baby up for adoption?" He asked spinning around to face Emma, her jaw dropped in shock. "That was me." He seemed proud of himself and the bombshell he dropped.

"Give me a minute." She said before running into the bathroom.

Her kid was here. No not her kid, she had given him up. He had a new family now; they were probably worried about him.

"Hey, do you have any juice?" She heard Henry shout through the apartment.

"Never mind, I've found some." He called sounding pleased.

She took a deep breath and left the safety of the bathroom just as someone else knocked on her door.

"Wait here." Emma warned not knowing who was at the door.

"Who is it?" Henry asked following her through the apartment, obviously ignoring Emma's warning.

"Maybe it's your parents looking for you?" She sighed; did all kids ignore what adults told them?

"I doubt that." He mumbled, grabbing the straps of his backpack.

Emma didn't really know what he meant by that and certainly wasn't sure how to talk about family problems. Especially since she destroyed the only one she had ever known.

Emma almost fainted when she saw who was standing at her door. He was older compared to the last time she had seen him but then again so was she.

"August?" So many feelings rushed through her just at the sight of him, that she wasn't sure what she thought of him standing at her door. Happy? Angry? Guilty?

"Happy Birthday, Em." He smiled softly, holding out a parcel that was wrapped in purple paper.

"What's this?" She asked. She was rather uncomfortable with him looking at her again after all this time. Why was he here?

"It's a birthday present Emma, it's a sort of tradition to give gifts on a birthday." Emma rolled her eyes but secretly she missed August's sarcasm.

"It's your birthday?!" Henry shouted in delight while August's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

"Yep." Emma could feel August's gaze on her as she spoke to Henry, who was standing behind her with the juice bottle in his hands.

"Did you…" He trailed off looking at Henry.

"I went through with it, if that's what you're asking." August nodded tensely, it was obvious to Emma that he still hadn't forgiven her for putting Henry up for adoption.

"Emma, we should get going." Henry announced, pulling Emma's attention away from August.

"Going where?" Emma wasn't aware that they were going anywhere, what exactly did this kid have planned?

"I want you to come back home with me." Emma really didn't think that this was a good idea.

"Ok kid, I'm calling the cops." Emma said picking up the phone.

"Then I'll tell them you kidnapped me." Henry replied swiftly as though he had thought this may have been a possibility when he came here. He was probably prepared for several situations.

"And they'll believe you because I'm your birth mother." Emma sighed and stopped trying to dial 911.

"Yep." Emma heard August chuckle softly at Henry's threats.

"Don't laugh at him! This is serious." She snapped, causing him to be silent almost instantly.

"Sorry." Although the smile still didn't leave his face.

"Anyway, you're not going to do that." Emma smirked, sensing the lie in Henry's words.

"Try me." This kid had guts; Emma couldn't help but be impressed.

"You're pretty good, but here's the thing. There's not a lot I'm great at in life, but I have one skill, let's call it a superpower." Emma added, remembering August calling it that when they were kids. "I can tell when anyone is lying, and you kid are." She smirked and began dialling again.

"No wait stop! Please just come home with me." Henry looked so vulnerable that Emma couldn't refuse even if she really wanted to.

"Where is home?" Emma sighed, angry at herself for not being able to say no to his pouting face.

"Storybrooke, Maine." Henry replied, relief evident in his voice.

"Storybrooke, seriously kid?" Emma sighed, what a weird name.

"I think we should go." August piped in, his eyes seemed alight as though he had heard some great news.

"Why would you want to come to Storybrooke?" Henry asked suspiciously.

"I think it's probably the same reason that you want Emma to go there. I bet it's a pretty special place, am I right?" Henry looked even more suspicious at this but at the same time a little hopeful.

"Fine you can come." Henry announced.

Emma wasn't sure whether she wanted August to come with them but couldn't face sending him away again, not after how it made her feel the last time she saw him walk away.

"I need to go change if we're going to take you home." If Emma had been paying attention she would have realised August's eye taking in her current outfit choice and the disappointment that she was going to change.

"What do you know?" Henry asked in an urgent whisper once Emma left the room

"About the residents of Storybrooke and what they're doing there?" August wondered how much the young boy knew about what was going on. He could see in his eyes that he knew something.

"Yes!" The child huffed impatiently.

"I know that there's a curse upon them and Emma is the one who is going to break it." He saw no reason to lie and besides Pinocchio didn't lie. Not that anyone had called him that in a long time, over the years he had slowly became 'August the travelling writer' but being near Emma again had made him feel like his real self.

"I- I was right? It's true?" August nodded smiling at the smart kid. "What's your name?"

"August W. Booth, what's your name?" He didn't want to overload the boy with the truth of who he actually was.

"I'm Henry James Mills." August wondered where he had gotten the middle name of James. Had Emma had a say in it, or was it merely a coincidence that he shared his grandfather's name.

"So you're Emma's son?" He tried to clear everything up, making sure that this child was the same child with the little round face and the button nose that he saw in the hospital over ten years ago.

Henry nodded and August's chest swelled, he had thought of this boy frequently, always wondering what he looked like and what he was doing.

"Ok let's get going." Emma called striding past them and grabbing her keys. Henry rushed ahead, excited to get back to Storybrooke to see how things changed, while August fell into step beside Emma.

"Thank you for the present." Emma whispered thinking of the returned baby blanket that now lay neatly on her bed.

"You're welcome. I didn't mean to take it with me; I must have accidently picked it up when I was leav- packing." Him leaving was still an uncomfortable subject to discuss, even if it had been ten years ago.

"Don't worry about it." Emma replied, even if she had missed the blanket terribly.

**I hope you're all happy that you didn't have to wait to long for August/Pinocchio to reappear! I want to say thank you for the response from the previous chapters, you're all amazing! Also I'm almost finished the next chapter so I'll hopefully get that to you tomorrow.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Another amazing response from you all! I'm so grateful, so as promised here is chapter seven. Enjoy! **

They had been in the car for several hours, August and Henry had been chatting idly about anything and everything. They were currently on the subject of Henry's school.

"I guess I like it, my teacher Ms Blanchard is nice. She gave me a book actually, I think you'd like it August." Henry said happily while digging around in his bag.

"Oh yeah, what's it about?" The man asked, Emma could tell that he wasn't just humouring the boy, like many adults do when talking to kids. He actually had an interest in what Henry was saying.

"I have it with me, look at it." Henry passed a large brown book to August who was in the front seat beside Emma.

The man was quiet for a few minutes as he flicked through the pages of the big book. The only sounds were soft gasps and muttered words of amazement.

"What is it?" Emma asked breaking the silence.

"Is she ready?" Henry asked the man, not one of them bothering to answer Emma's question.

"I'm not sure." August said, closing the book and passing it back to Henry. "You could try her." August suggested, he wasn't sure how much Emma still believed about the truths he told her, or if she even believed at all.

"It's a book of stories. I guess some people would call them fairy-tales." Henry began quite hesitantly while Emma suppressed an eye roll. More fairy-tales!?

"Except, everything in this book actually happened." Henry stopped there waiting for her to respond.

"Did you put him up to this? Did you write that book?" She asked, anger bubbling in her stomach.

"What?! No!" August looked hurt and a little angry at Emma's accusation but she could hear the truth in his words, he hadn't put Henry up to this.

"Fine, I'm sorry." Emma muttered, not wanting to fight with August.

"You really should believe. You're _in_ this book, it's_ all_ true. The evil queen cursed everyone and now they're wondering around Storybrook with no idea who they actually are! Only you can break the curse, you're the saviour." Emma's chest tightened as she heard that word. She had spent the last ten years trying to forget all about the stories she had heard as a child and how someday she was supposedly expected to break some magic curse.

"Have you ever met or spoken to August before today kid?" She asked, feeling a little dizzy.

"I have a name you know, it's Henry and no I haven't. I just met him today. What's that got to do with anything?" He spoke the truth; Emma could sense it in his voice.

"Nothing Henry, it doesn't matter." Emma was barley concentrating on the road, how did her kid, know about the curse. That stupid book, how did she end up in a storybook in Maine?!

"Emma maybe you should pull over and let me drive for a while?" She nodded numbly at August and did as he instructed.

"Can I look at it?" Emma asked quietly after she climbed in the back to sit by Henry.

"Sure. Look this is where you come in." He had flipped to the back of the book and was showing her the illustrated version of the story that August had told her hundreds of times during the eighteen years they were together.

"That's Snow White and Prince Charming; you do know they're your parent's right?" He pointed to a picture of a raven haired woman and a blond man crying, while cradling a baby, a baby with an exact copy of Emma's blanket wrapped around the small infant. Henry sounded excited when he spoke and Emma wondered how often he chatted about this with other people; at least anyone who he thought had a chance of believing him.

"Yeah, so I've heard." She sighed looking at the book. It was so similar to what August had told her.

"Why don't you read it?" Henry handed her the book and then turned to face out of the window, giving her as much privacy as possible in her small bug.

Emma finally looked up from the book as the trio passed the 'Welcome to Storybrook' sign.

"Home sweet home, huh?" August said, taking in the sights around him, while driving up the road.

"This is too crazy." Emma muttered to herself. "Which street is yours kid?"

"How about 'I'm not telling you street'?" Henry tried to play it cool but inside he was afraid that they were going to drop him off at home and then he'd never see them again. He couldn't go home yet, not until he made her believe or at least agree to stay.

"Ok stop the car." Emma demanded in a no nonsense voice that August obeyed.

Emma climbed out of the car, slamming the door in the process.

"Look, it's been a long night and it's almost… 8:15?" Henry and August both looked up at the clock with the tired woman.

"Calm down, Grandma." August joked rolling his eyes.

"That clock hasn't moved my whole life. Time's frozen here."

"Oh great it gets worse." Emma said crossing her arms.

"So in the last twenty-eight years, time hasn't moved here?" August looked amazed at the seemingly normal small town.

"Nope the evil Queen sent everyone from the enchanted forest here, I've already told you." Henry said impatiently.

"So if this Queen is so evil why doesn't everyone just leave?" Emma couldn't quite believe that she was even talking about this.

"The Evil Queen is probably prevented them from doing that in some way." August suggested offhandedly. Emma could tell the man wasn't really paying attention to her and the boy instead was looking at a figure that was approaching with a dog.

"Exactly. If they try to leave bad things happen." It was odd hearing something so grave come out of a ten year olds mouth.

"Henry!" The man shouted hurrying towards the three of them. "What are you doing here, is everything all right?" The man asked shooting Emma and August suspicious looks.

"I'm fine Archie." Henry smiled petting the dog.

"Who are your friends?"

"Just two people giving him a ride home." Emma said, wanting nothing more than for this man to walk away.

"She's my mom, Archie and this is her friend August." Henry announced rather casually.

"Oh I see." August stood staring at the tall man, who glanced back at him for a moment before turning to Emma who had begun speaking.

"Do you know where he lives?" She asked hopefully.

"Yeah sure, just keep following the road and turn left. You can't miss it; the Mayor's house is the biggest on the block." Archie replied. Emma didn't know him but she could tell he was a good person; he seemed to genuinely care for Henry.

"You're the Mayors kid?" Her kid had it great here, a Rich Mayor for a parent and a quaint little town where people seemed to care for him. Now if he could only get fairy-tales out of his head he could be really happy here.

"Maybe." Henry shrugged not meeting Emma's eyes.

"Where were you today, Henry? I missed you at our session?" The man glanced at Emma, before looking back at Henry.

"Oops I forgot to tell you, I erm, went on a field trip." Emma could tell August was supressing a laugh, Henry was almost a worse liar than she was.

"Henry what did I tell you about lying? Giving into ones dark side never accomplishes anything." August gasped now knowing for certain who this man really was.

"Okay, we should really be getting him home." Emma forced a smile. Maybe if his shrink stopped talking about 'ones dark side' then Henry wouldn't be so interested in fairy tales.

"Yes well, have a good night and you be good Henry." With that Archie walked away leaving August gawking in his wake.

"So that was your shrink?" Emma asked. Was it possible for two people to make up the same world? Maybe August had seen the same book as Henry had when he was a child?

"I'm not crazy!" Henry was mad that she'd even consider the fact he was insane.

"I didn't say that." Emma said holding up her arms. "He just doesn't seem cursed to me. He just seems to want to help you." She shrugged.

"He is the one who needs help." Henry pressed on, trying to make her believe. "He just doesn't remember, none of them do."

"That they're all fairy-tale characters?" Emma felt like she was Henry's age again thinking over the possibility of the curse being real.

"Emma he's telling the truth." August muttered getting back into the car. This time he took the back seat, allowing Emma and Henry to ride in the front.

"Sure ok, I'll play. Who's he supposed to be?" Emma asked laughing without much humour.

"Jiminy Cricket." Henry and August chorused.

Emma ignored the weirdness of August's voice and how strange it was that the man seemed to know what the boy was going to say.

"Right the lying thing, I thought your nose grew a little bit." Emma said, trying desperately to make a joke out of the situation. She saw August roll his eyes; he had always hated that part of the Pinocchio story. When she was younger she used to tease him about it.

"I'm not Pinocchio." Henry cried, strapping himself in.

"Of course you're not, that would be ridiculous. August is Pinocchio." Emma felt as though she needed to scream.

"What? Really?" Henry's smile grew huge and then confused as August nodded, apparently confirming what Emma had said.

"But how did you get here?" August quickly ran through the story of the wardrobe and Geppetto's betrayal.

"Your father's called Marco here, he and Archie- I mean Jiminy, are still friends." August smiled his eyes filling at this small piece of information. He wanted desperately to find his father but promised himself that that could wait. First he had to make sure that Emma and Henry were settled first.

"Is this it?" Emma asked pulling up in front of a large white house.

"Please don't make me go back there." Henry begged but Emma got out the car not listening to his pleas.

"You have to go back; your parents will be worried sick about you." Emma tried to reason, what could possibly be so bad about growing up here?

"I don't have parents, just a mom and she's evil!" Emma stopped and faced the boy. August stood beside them with a bewildered look on his face, obviously not quite sure how to help in this situation.

"Evil? That's a bit extreme isn't it?" Emma would have given anything for a mother that cared for her as a child, Henry was obviously over reacting… right?

"She is. She doesn't love me, she just pretends to." It broke Emma's heart hearing in Henry's voice that he really believed he was unloved.

"Kid I'm sure that's not true." Emma wanted to hug him but before she had the chance the front door on the house was flung open and out ran a dark haired woman dressed in a smart tanned coloured dress.

"Henry!" She shouted running towards the boy.

Emma heard August gasp in shock but she was too focussed on the little boy beside her.

"Are you ok? Where have you been? What happened?" The woman asked, completely glancing at Emma and August. A man stood beside her looking relieved at the sight of Henry unharmed.

"I've found my real Mom!" He shouted before pushing past her and running into the house.

"You're Henry's birth mother?" Tears glistened in the woman's eyes and Emma couldn't help but feel bad for her.

"Hi." She felt intrusive; she shouldn't have been here, ruining this poor woman's life that she had set up for herself and her son.

"I'll just go check on the lad, make sure he's ok." The man said leaving Emma and August alone with the woman.

"How would you two like a glass of the best apple cider that you've ever tasted." The woman smoothed out her face and forced a smiled, showing her perfectly white teeth.

"Got anything stronger?" Emma joked, half hoping that the mayor might.

"Sadly not. Right this way…" She trailed off waiting for a name.

"I'm Emma Swan and he's August Booth." August nodded in a way of greeting; however Emma noticed that he seemed tense in this woman's presence.

"Regina Mills." She lead them into the grand house and through to the kitchen where she began getting out glasses for their apple cider.

"How did he find me?" Emma asked when no one made a move to speak.

"I have no idea, when I adopted him he was only three weeks old. Records were sealed, I was told the birth mother didn't want any contact, she only had one request." Emma gasped slightly, had she agreed?

"His middle name." Emma said nodding, remembering her tearful goodbye and her only wish for her baby. Regina handed them b

"And the father?" The woman said, glancing at August.

"Is not me." August smiled stiffly, trying to ignore the awkward tension in the room.

"Well should I be worried about him?" August rolled his eyes, the waste of space only ever worried about him.

"He doesn't even know Henry exists." Over the years Emma felt a little guilty about not telling him but she knew Henry was better off without either of them, especially him.

"And should I be worried about you Miss Swan?" Anger rose in August at this woman's silent threats, she clearly didn't like to be messed with, did she not think that Emma would fight for her kid now that she had had a chance to get to know him?

"Absolutely not." Emma said firmly, causing August to almost choke on the remains of his apple cider.

"Emma!" August started to argue but was soon cut off by the man from earlier coming back down the staircase.

"Madam Mayer you can relax, other than being a tired little boy, Henry is fine." Emma saw how much respect the man seemed to have towards his mayor.

"Thank you Sherriff." Regina said, dismissing the man before turning towards the two people still in her house.

"I'm sorry he dragged you both out of your lives. I honestly don't know what's gotten into him." She led them into a lounge and motioned for them both to sit.

"The kid's having rough time, it happens." Emma felt she needed to defend Henry; he wasn't being difficult, he just didn't feel loved.

"He seems fine to me." August muttered. He didn't trust this woman, Henry didn't say who she was but he had his suspicions.

"You have to understand ever since I became mayor things have been difficult to balance. You have a job I assume?" She directed her question to Emma, after all Regina knew that Emma was the main threat when it came to Henry.

"I keep myself busy." Emma replied, wondering where the woman was going with the convocation.

"Well imagine having another job on top of that, being a single mother." Emma shifted uncomfortably, she felt as though she was in school again, the teachers slyly telling her she would never be to amount to anything.

"Am I strict? Yes, but only because I want Henry to excel in life. I don't think that makes me evil do you?" Emma had to admit that the mayor did seem to want the best for Henry.

"I'm sure he's just saying that because of his fairy-tale thing." She reasoned, trying to sooth the woman.

"What fairy-tale thing?" August swore quietly under his breath.

"You know how he thinks that everyone in town is a cartoon character from his-" August stood abruptly, pulling Emma up with him.

"Emma, maybe we should be heading off." August desperately wanted Emma to shut up. The woman must really be bad news if Henry had kept her in the dark about the whole curse and the storybook.

"I'm sorry I really have no idea what you're talking about. What fairy-tale thing?" Regina looked angry and Emma suddenly got an uneasy feeling about revealing Henry's secrets to her.

"I'm sorry it isn't any of our business, and August is right, we better get going." With that Emma and August headed out the front door and hurried towards Emma's car.

Emma stopped and turned around, having the feeling that she was being watched. There at the top window was Henry, his little face looked so sad that Emma wanted desperately to run back in the house and make him feel better but before she could Henry let the curtain fall as he backed away from the window.

"Come on." August said touching her arm lightly, trying to lead her away from the manor house. "I'm sure there will be a hotel or inn around here, somewhere."

"I don't want to stay in a hotel, I don't want to stay in this town, I want to go home." Emma pulled away and carried on towards her car.

"Emma, wait! Henry needs you; you can't leave him alone in this town with her." She ignored her old friend and strapped herself into the driver's seat.

"Fine, very mature. Ignore me." Huffed August, climbing in the passenger seat.

She still didn't talk to him; she started the car and drove through the town.

"Well I have a feeling you'll be going back to see the kid." August said a few minutes later, smirking slightly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked. How was he so sure of what she was going to do?

"Because even though you don't fully believe in the curse, you still care about Henry, and Henry cares about this book." He chuckled holding up the storybook.

"Where did you get that?" Emma asked suspiciously.

"It was on the seat when I climbed in, that's a smart kid you have there." Emma's chest tightened uncomfortably.

"He's not my kid. He's hers." Emma muttered, looking at August sternly. He had to accept that she had given up her rights when she gave him away.

"Emma, that's ridiculous. He's your son and nothing can- Emma!" August shouted, waving his arms in the direction of the road.

A wolf stood in the middle of the road. She swerved, gasping in horror. Her body flew forward and then back as the car smashed into something hard.

The last thing August was aware of before he passed out was Emma, slumped over the steering wheel, unconscious.

**I hope you all liked it! **


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello, here's chapter eight! Enjoy it :) **

Emma groaned as she awoke. The bright florescent light was burning her eyes and the mattress she was lying on was lumpy and hard.

"Moring, Sister." Said a gruff voice from the side of her.

"Behave, Leroy." Emma recognised the voice, it was the sheriff. She finally looked around, confused to why she was in a jail cell; she tried to remember the previous night. Henry, his mother, August, her car and the wolf! She had crashed. Where was August?!

"My friend, the man I was with yesterday! Where is he? Is he ok?" The sheriff approached the cell; he exuded confidence which Emma found slightly annoying at this point.

"He's fine; he's on his way here now. He's been to the hospital getting checked out, the doctors been here to, you're in perfect health by the way. That crash could have been a lot more serious, apparently Regina's cider is a little stronger than we thought." The ghost of a smile played over the Sheriff's lips.

"I wasn't drunk! There was a wolf, you can ask August. It was just standing in the middle of the road." Emma couldn't believe she had spent the night in a jail cell over a stupid wolf.

"Graham, Henry's ran away again!" They heard a woman's voice before seeing Regina run through the station.

She froze upon seeing Emma in the cell. "What is she still doing here?" The mayor demanded before swinging around to face Emma. "Do you know where he is?" Regina accused.

"The last time I saw him was when I dropped him off at your house last night and well… I'd say I had a pretty solid alibi." Emma wasn't sure but she was almost certain that Graham smirked at her sarcasm towards the Mayor. "Now why don't you two let me out of here and I can help you find him?"

"How could you help find him?" The woman sneered.

"It's what she does, she finds people. Now do you want to find Henry?" August strode into the room glaring at the mayor. Emma didn't fail to notice that he had a sizable bump on his head.

Ten minutes later Emma, August, Regina and Graham were all gathered around Henry's computer.

"He's cleared his history, the smart kid." Emma was constantly impressed with Henry's brains. "Nothing that I can't get around." Emma smiled pulling out a flash drive.

"Would it not be more beneficial if we were actually looking for the boy rather than staring at his computer?" The sheriff sighed.

"Why don't you go do that?" August suggested as he paced the room.

"Who' ." Emma read aloud from Henry's computer history.

"Well I guess you know how he found you." August piped in.

"Yes, well now that that is solved can we get back to finding my son." The mayor glared back at August, while Emma went back to facing the computer screen.

"It's pretty expensive. Does he have a credit card?" Emma asked when she looked at the payment method.

"He's ten years old; of course I haven't gotten him a credit card." Regina snapped, folding her arms across her chest.

"Well let's see whose he has been using. Miss Mary- Margaret Blanchard? Who's that?" She recognised the name but wasn't sure where from.

"His teacher?" August recognised the name too; he remembered wondering who this caring woman really was.

"Yes, that meddling woman!" Emma could tell that Regina hated the woman who Henry seemed to love so much.

"Well let's pay her a visit, maybe she will know where he is."

They arrived at the school ten minutes later, minus Graham who had decided that searching the streets would be a better option. The secretary informed Regina that it was almost recess and that they were more than welcome to see Miss Blanchard once the bell rang.

They didn't have to wait very long; as soon as the bell rang Regina flew into the classroom and confronted the small, friendly looking woman.

"Ms Mills, what are you doing here?" The woman seemed awfully timid to Emma who quickly followed Regina into the room.

"Where is my son?" The mayor seemed to enjoy intimidating this woman for reasons unbeknown to Emma.

August walked through the door next and Emma noticed his whole posture change. He became stiff, Emma wasn't sure if this was down to shock or fear.

"You ok?" Emma whispered so not to be overheard.

"I- I, yeah I'm fine." August didn't take his eyes off the young teacher. Did he have a crush on her? No, Emma didn't think so; he looked like he had seen a ghost.

"Did you give him your credit card to help him find her?" Emma turned her attention back to the pair of women in front of her.

"I'm sorry, who are you?" Emma realised that the woman was addressing her. She didn't know what to say, she wasn't exactly Henry's mother.

"I'm his…" She froze up. August put a reassuring hand on her upper arm.

"The woman who gave him up for adoption." Regina sneered as though this made Emma no better than a piece of dirt.

The woman didn't say a word; Emma could tell she didn't know what they were talking about.

"You don't know a thing about this do you?" Emma felt sorry for the woman that Regina was glaring at.

"No, unfortunately not." The woman replied sadly before she opened her purse. Emma could tell from her face that the credit card was missing. "Cleaver boy." The woman murmured.

"I should never have given him that book." The teacher shook her head in regret.

"What in the hell is this book I keep hearing about?" Regina spat, anger radiating from her.

"It's just a book, he'll be fine, he just needs a bit if space." August tried to reason with the mayor, trying to stop too much information reaching the Evil Queen. After seeing how she treated Snow White he was now certain of the mayor's identity.

"You better hope he does Mr Booth." She sneered, before turning around to face Emma.

"Both of you have a nice trip back to Boston." With that Regina turned on her heel and stormed out of the classroom, knocking a pile of books off of a student's desk.

Emma and August rushed forward to help her pick them up. The young woman looked up from the ground and froze once she set eyes on Emma. August supressed a grin, maybe, just maybe the Queen recognised her long, lost daughter?

"Thank you." The woman smiled after she had gotten over the odd sensation of seeing the other woman in front of her.

"No problem, we're sorry we bothered you." Emma handed her some more books, while August collected the few that had landed further away.

"That's ok; I fear it's partly my fault." Emma doubted this; Regina didn't seem like an easy person to get along with.

"She's a piece of work." August muttered, causing the women to laugh softly.

"How's the book meant to help?" Emma asked confused.

"It's what stories are for, Emma. They make us believe in happy ending." August answered before the woman had a chance.

"Exactly." The woman beamed at August. "There's a reason they are classics, they help us deal with our world." Miss Blanchard continued, leading the pair out the door and along the corridor. "Henry hasn't exactly had the easiest life."

"Yeah, she's kind of a hard-ass." Emma couldn't imagine growing up with a mother like Regina; she certainly wasn't the sort of woman that Emma had wanted to raise her baby.

"It's not just her. Henry, like many adopted children struggle with that same, basic question, 'why would anybody give me away?'." The woman froze in embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to judge you." Mary-Margaret didn't want to upset this woman, she felt as though she trusted her, as though they shared some sort of connection.

"It's ok." The woman muttered although both August and Mary- Margaret could tell that she was upset.

"I gave him to book to give him the most important thing anyone can have… hope." August smiled at his Queen. She may be timid in this world but underneath it all she still held the same values.

"I think you succeeded in giving him that Miss Blanchard." August said politely. Emma gave him a look, he knew that she didn't agree with him but that was because she didn't believe.

"Thank you but I'm sure you're the only one who agrees with me. Hope can be a very powerful thing." The young teacher sighed, thinking of Henry and his stories.

"You know where he is, don't you?" Emma could sense that this woman knew where the boy was, she seemed like a smart woman and Emma knew not to underestimate her.

"You might want to try his castle." Mary- Margaret suggested.

Emma found Henry exactly where Mary-Margaret had said he would be. He sat atop of a wooden climbing frame that held a resemblance to a castle.

She wondered over, climbing up the rickety structure and sat down beside the child.

"Hey kid." She said in greeting. He was hunched over his book that sat open on his lap.

"Hi." He turned the page in his book as he carried on reading, not meeting Emma's eyes.

"Your Mom has been worried about you." Emma really wished that the kid would believe he was loved.

"Sure she was." Henry rolled his eyes thinking that Emma couldn't see.

"She loves you Henry, she's takes great care of you." Emma wasn't sure if she agreed with all of Regina's parenting but that didn't matter, Regina was his mother now and Emma couldn't change that.

"Are you staying?" Henry asked abruptly not acknowledging Emma's statement.

"I don't belong here." Emma replied after a pause. Henry jumped off the climbing frame and spun around to face Emma who had climbed off after him.

"Yes you do, more than you know. You can't leave. Stay for a while, please!" Henry begged, once again using the puppy dog eyes.

"No I don't, I have a life in Boston, and I can't just drop it all and move to Storybrook." Emma wished that she could help the boy understand that he was better off without her in his life.

"I'm not saying move here! Just stay for one week, one week and I'll prove to you that the curse is real and that you do belong here." Henry wanted Emma to move to Storybrook more than anything but he knew that he just needed her to agree to a short stay and the town would do the rest.

"Henry I can't…" Emma didn't have an excuse why, it wasn't as though her job was a nine-five job. She was paid when she delivered; no one relied on her back in Boston.

"You can't leave me here alone with her, my life sucks!" Henry began getting upset at the idea of him failing and living alone in this curse infested town.

"You want to know what sucks? Being abandoned on the side of the road by my supposed parents, at least you have a mother here that loves you, she may not be perfect but she only wants what is best for you. When I was growing up the only person I had to rely on was August and I even screwed that up! Your life does not suck; from what I've seen you have a full town of people that love and care about you Henry. You're a very lucky boy." Emma was breathing heavily, tears glistening in her eyes as she looked at the child that was staring shocked back at her.

"Your parents didn't abandon you, they sent you to this world to safe you." Henry flipped through the book to the page Emma had seen before. The beautiful couple holding the small baby.

"How do you know that?" Emma asked playing along.

"Because you're not that much different from them, you did the same thing with me." Emma's mouth dropped open at Henry's statement; however he didn't look upset at all.

"Henry I-" Guilt stabbed at Emma's chest but before she could continue Henry cut her off.

"I'm not angry; I understand why you gave me away." Henry said truthfully, he honestly didn't blame Emma for giving him away.

"You do?" Emma marvelled at the fact that Henry could apparently understand what August, her closest confident, could not.

"Yep, you wanted to give me my best chance. Just like your parents wanted for you." The boy said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You're right about my choices but I'm not sure about my parents." Emma sighed and rubbed her hands over her face in frustration.

"Why can't you believe in the curse? August has told you all about it. You said that you can tell when people are lying, was August lying? Am I?" Emma could tell that Henry was losing his patience with her.

"I- Just because someone believes something doesn't make it real." Emma began to panic; she knew August had never lied to her, well he believed he wasn't lying.

"Part of you believes in the curse, I can tell." Henry placed his book in his backpack and crossed his arms.

"Sure I do, kid." Emma rolled her eyes in denial. _It was impossible!_

"You can stop doing that too." Emma had no idea what the boy was going on about.

"Doing what?" Emma hated the way that the boy looked at her, like he knew everything about her.

"Pushing me away, I can tell you like me. No need to put up walls." Henry smirked and Emma felt herself blush.

"Yeah, whatever." Emma smiled. "Come on let's get you home." Henry nodded having a sneaking suspicion that Emma wouldn't be going anywhere soon, not if he or August had anything to do with it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello, sorry about the wait for this chapter! I had a serious case of writers block. I had about 600 words written but then just couldn't think what to write next. I hope you like it, I know it's not as long as usual but I'll start working on the next chapter as soon as possible.**

"Did you find him?" August asked once Emma arrived at the dinner where they had arranged to meet.

"Yeah, he's fine." Emma sighed, sitting down at the counter with him. "Regina isn't my biggest fan, she basically told me to stay away from Henry." The woman huffed.

"Did you expect anything else from that witch?" August asked while Emma raised an eyebrow at him.

"Well she is, Emma. I know you don't believe but I'm telling the truth and so is Henry." Emma sighed while rubbing her temples.

"I need a drink." She muttered.

"Can I have a black coffee and a hot chocolate with a dash of cinnamon?" August asked the scantily dressed waitress with the red streaked hair.

"I meant something a little stronger than hot coco." Emma rolled her eyes. "What do you expect me to do August? Just throw all logic out of the window and go along with some story a ten year old is telling me?"

"And me, I'm thirty-five; I'm telling you it's true." August took a deep breath before continuing. "But no, I don't expect you to believe just because we're telling you it's true."

"Good because you'd be very disappointed." The woman grumbled. August suppressed a smile at the little ways that Emma hadn't changed; she was still just as stubborn.

"Will you stay?" August asked softly, knowing that she might take a little convincing.

"I can't, I belong in Boston." Emma muttered, not meeting August's eyes.

"That's a lie Emma, you've never belonged anywhere. I'm surprised you lived there for that long. Maybe if you give Storybrook a chance you mind find a place to fit in? Give Henry a chance." Emma knew that he was right, about one thing at least. She had never belonged anywhere.

"I don't know…" Emma trailed off as the waitress placed their drinks in front of them before walking around the counter to clear some tables.

"You're scared." August stated causing Emma to look up in deviance. "It's ok Em; you're allowed to be afraid." He shrugged and took a sip of his coffee.

"I am not scared." Emma said before realising what he was doing. "That won't work. I'm not ten anymore."

"I don't know what you're talking about." August took another drink before putting his cup down and looking directly at Emma. "Just give me a week. Actually give Henry and me a week to prove to you that you should stay and break the curse. The town needs you Emma."

"This is insane, August. You can't expect me to-" She cut off as the waitress came back around the counter, she didn't want people hearing her talk about magical curses. "We don't even have anywhere to stay, we have to leave town. Unless you want to sleep in my car?" She raised an eyebrow waiting for August to give her a solution.

"My Grandmother owns an Inn, if you're looking for somewhere to stay?" The waitress said interrupting August internal panic.

"That would be great, does she have room?" August smirked at Emma obviously pleased with the outcome.

"Sure, there are a few repairs being completed at the minute but I'm sure she'd be to find space for the both of you." August thanked the waitress and followed her directions to the Inn, taking Emma along with him.

"August, I never agreed to stay!" Emma growled as he continued to tow her behind him.

"Hello, we'd like a room?" August said politely to the elderly woman behind the reception desk.

"Two rooms." Emma corrected.

"Oh, so you're staying?" August grinned as Emma rolled her eyes at how she had apparently agreed to stay in this strange town.

"I-" Emma began to reply but broke off midsentence.

"Two rooms please." The man said, smiling charmingly at the elderly woman.

"I'll see what I can do, we're having some work done on the rooms at the moment but I'm sure between Marco and myself we'll be to rustle up two suitable rooms." The woman smiled, before picking up a piece of paper and some keys before coming around the front of the desk.

"That would be great." Emma wanted to wipe the smug look off August's face as they followed the old woman up the stairs.

"I'm sure this room will do." The woman said leading them into room number 2, where a man was busy repairing the old wardrobe. "Marco, are the repairs almost complete?"

"Yes, Granny. These are the final touches." The man said with a slight accent.

Emma noticed that August had stopped in the doorway and was looking towards the old man in pure shock.

"What's the matter?" Emma asked quietly, while Granny and Marco spoke about his work that still needed completing.

"That's my father." August replied not taking his eyes of the man's figure.

"What?" As far as Emma knew August had been abandoned just like her. He used to tell her stories of his life with his father in the Enchanted Forest and Emma could tell that he loved this storybook life but they were just stories.

"So the rooms will be ready in about half an hour, do you mind waiting?" Granny asked kindly.

"No not at all." August said with a forced smile, he couldn't believe his father was standing so close.

"I won't be long at all, I promise." Marco looked directly at his son as he spoke, who could only nod in response.

"I'll make some tea while we wait." The old woman decided as she left the room leaving Emma alone with August and Marco.

"What brings you to Storybrook?" Marco asked the couple after a couple of minute's silence.

"That's a long story." Emma replied, crossing her arms across her chest.

"I have time." The man smiled softly.

"A child brought us here, he needs our help." August told his father, he was desperate to go over and hug him but he knew he could not.

"Well children are our most precious gifts. We must do everything in our power to help and protect them, they are innocent." Marco said his eyes sad.

"Do you have children?" Emma asked the old man, thinking that he would make a great father.

"Sadly no, I always longed for a child but it seems that that was not meant to be." Marco looked away as his eyes took on a glassy appearance.

August looked away from the man but not fast enough, Emma noticed the tears that had gathered in his eyes at the man's words.

The three sat in silence as the eldest man finished his work; Pinocchio watched his father and managed a small smile at how his father's passion for his work had not been taken away by the curse.

"Here we go a nice cup of tea." Granny smiled as she re-entered the room, handing each person a cup and thankfully breaking the award tension that had spread through the room in her absence.

A few hours later the sun was setting over Storybrook and Emma sat alone in her new room. She couldn't shake the image of August's face out of her head, his expression when he set eyes of Marco sent chills down her spine. How could he believe he was his father? Marco had said that he didn't have children. However he did say he had always longed for one… just like Gepetto in the story of Pinocchio. Emma threw herself back on her bed in frustration. This town was going to make her mad!

She only climbed off of her bed when there was a knock on her door; she knew it could only be one person.

"Hey." She greeted the man standing at her doorway before stepping aside and allowing him entrance.

"Sorry I haven't been around today." August apologised. After Marco left and Granny settled them into their rooms August took off after his 'father'.

"It's fine, family is important, right?" August knew she was mocking him slightly but that part of her was just being defensive. She had always placed walls up, not allowing anyone but him to get close. Now however it seemed that he was being kept out too.

"I know you don't believe but you don't have to be bratty about it." The man replied coolly as he past the woman who ignored his insult.

"What do you want? It's late." Emma replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Its eight o'clock, even Granny's not in bed yet." August smirked.

"It's been a long day." Emma defended. She honestly did feel like it was the early hours of the morning.

"I know, I'm sorry. I wanted to know how long you were planning on staying. You didn't tell Granny." August didn't want to pressure her but he knew what she was like, if she wasn't committed then she would just up and leave one day. He had to convince her to stay.

"I don't know… a day or two?" Emma shrugged, she felt uneasy being in one place for so long.

"Emma, I'm going to need more than a couple of days to convince you!" August protested.

"Are you being serious?" Emma laughed without humour.

"Very." August replied sternly. "Give me a month?" Emma raised an eyebrow in deviance. "A fortnight?" Emma sighed and rolled her eyes. "A week?!" August begged. "Just one week!"

"Do you really think that you can get me to believe in some magical curse?" Emma scoffed, smiling despite herself.

"Are you telling me that you're not willing to let me try? What are you scared of?" He challenged.

"I'm not afraid of anything!" Emma shot back, glaring at the man before her.

"Good! Then you'll give me a week?" August smiled broadly knowing that he had won.

"Fine. One week." Emma snapped before walking towards the door and holding it open for August to leave. "Now go to your own room. Some of us granny's have to get some sleep." The woman said sarcastically before giving her friend a small smile.

Across town the young boy sat at his window watching the clock, that hadn't moved his entire life, finally tick to 8:15. Time was moving again, the boy thought as he grinned widely.

**If anyone has any ideas about what you would like to happen then just send me a message or suggest your ideas in a review. Thank you! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it! **

The sharp knock on her door the very next morning, startled Emma. Whoever it was sounded irritated; she wondered what was wrong with August to make him feel like this.

"Ms Swan." The Mayor snarled as she strutted through the door uninvited.

"Good morning." The startled woman said sarcastically, rolling her eyes at the other woman's attitude.

"I've brought you a gift." Regina smiled, although it looked painful to Emma. "Apples from my tree that I tend to in my garden. All home grown." The woman smirked, as though growing her own fruit made her better than Emma.

"Err, thanks." Emma wasn't sure what to say, the woman obviously hated her, what was she playing at?

"I don't like to waste my time Ms Swan; I'm here because of Henry. You being here is not good for him and when you finally skip town he'll be heart broken." Emma went to defend herself but Regina cut her off. "You will leave Ms Swan, after all you always do. Never stay in a place for too long."

"Have you been checking up on me?" Emma asked, supressing her anger.

"Yes, I have. I only have Henry's best interests at heart after all. One of us has too. Did you know he was in therapy?" The look in Regina's eyes unnerved Emma, they were so cold.

"Yes, we bumped into his therapist yesterday." Emma said tensely, not wanting to play into Regina's hands. She had to admit that if anyone could be The Evil Queens counterpart in this town, Regina would definitely be that person.

"Well I'm sure you would agree that it would be best for Henry if you left town today, now perhaps?" Emma was about to snap back at the woman when a second knock was heard.

"I thought I heard your voice." August sneered when he set eyes on Regina after letting himself in.

"Oh look, you're Prince Charming to the rescue." August supressed the need to roll his eyes at the woman's way of mocking the people of the Enchanted Forest.

"I don't need anyone to rescue me, Madam Mayor. I suggest that it would be in _your_ best interests to leave." Emma said, while August held open the door waving mockingly.

"Enjoy the apples." Regina snapped before turning on her heel and storming out, obviously furious that her attempt to intimidate Emma had failed.

"What did she want?" August asked once Regina was out of ear shot.

"Just to run me out of town." Emma shrugged. August took the apples Regina had left and tipped them into the bin.

"What are you doing?" Emma didn't particularly want the apples but she was rather hungry.

"She's the evil queen who gave an apple to Snow White to kill her! I know you don't believe but please just humour me!" August didn't know if the apples were actually poisoned or if it was just some twisted game that the witch was playing, but either way the apples weren't a good idea.

"Ok, relax. I was never that fond of apples anyway." Emma shrugged picking up her purse.

"Good." The man sighed; this curse was going to make him grey.

"Fancy a hot coco?" August smiled at finding another thing that hadn't changed about his lifelong friend.

"I'll take a coffee." With that they both headed down to the diner.

"Did you notice the clock is working?" They heard Ms Blanchard ask the waitress, Ruby as they entered the diner. Ruby looked towards the clock on the wall of the diner, had it stopped working? "The clock tower, Ruby." The teacher laughed.

"Really? Wow, it looks as though things are finally getting fixed around here." Ruby said, wiping down the counter.

"Morning." August said in greeting to Mary-Margaret.

"Oh, good morning. Have you seen the paper today, Emma?" The woman asked sympathetically.

"No, why?" Emma asked, feeling uneasy.

"You made the news." Ruby said handing her the morning's paper. "I wouldn't worry too much about it…" Ruby added hoping the woman wasn't going to be too upset once she read the first page.

"That evil witch!" Emma growled reading the paper.

"That's what I've been telling you." August tried to joke, reading the paper over Emma's shoulder.

"She has to have something to do with this!" How could one woman infuriate her so much? Was she out to ruin her life completely?

"Will a hot coco with cinnamon cheer you up?" Asked Ruby handing her a cup.

"Yes, how did you know?" She asked, taking the cup gratefully.

"You have an admirer." Ruby smiled looking behind Emma.

"An admirer?" August thought the years of protecting Emma from the opposite sex had past, obviously not.

Emma hadn't waited for further explanation; she turned and noticed the sheriff staring at her from his booth.

"Thanks but I'm really not interested." She said placing the cup in front of him.

"Excuse me?" He asked with an amused smile.

"How did you even know I liked cinnamon in my hot chocolate? It's not exactly common." The smile hadn't left Grahams face as he smiled up at the confident woman before him.

"It's from me." A little voice called out.

Emma spun around to see Henry sitting a couple of tables along drinking his own hot chocolate. She hadn't even noticed him sitting there.

"I like cinnamon in my hot chocolate too. I just figured that I had to get it from somewhere." Henry shrugged, smiling slightly.

"Thanks kid." Emma said, snatching up her drink and walking towards Henry. She wanted to get as far away from the sheriff as possible, she wasn't great with embarrassment.

"Was he bothering you?" August asked walking up behind Emma and glaring at Graham.

"No." Emma said, not wanting to talk about her making a fool of herself.

"Hi August." Henry grinned at the man that he had formed a quick connection to.

"Hey Henry." August smiled back, taking a seat with Emma and the boy. "So what are we talking about?" He asked wanting to get down to business. If he only had one week to convince Emma he wasn't going to waste any time.

"I brought something to show Emma." Henry said digging through his bag. The two adults waited for Henry to find what he was looking for; finally he pulled out sheets of paper. "These are the last few pages of the book. They're the bits about Emma." Henry added the last part, giving the pages relevance.

"The ones where I was put in a wardrobe?" Emma asked remembering the pages she had looked at yesterday.

"Yes. I needed to get them out of my house. Now that my Mom knows about the book it isn't safe. My mom can't find them! If she does she'll know that you're the only one who can break her curse." August nodded gravely while Emma wondered how the boy became to believe in the curse.

"You're a smart kid, Henry." August smiled, proud of the boy's intelligence.

"Thanks, you guys want to walk me to school?"

"Actually I was going to head to Boston." August said sipping his coffee that Ruby had poured when Emma was talking to the sheriff.

"What?!" Emma was outraged, was he honestly leaving after going on and on about her staying?

"Well if you're going to stay then you'll need some stuff. I was thinking that I could collect them for you?" Emma sighed in relief once she realised he wasn't leaving her.

"Yeah thanks. You don't mind?" Emma didn't want to head back to Boston to pack some clothes. She was only here a week and she needed to make sure Henry was ok before she left.

"Of course not. Plus it's not like I don't have experience of packing for you." August smirked, thinking of all the times Emma had dragged him over to pack for her before one of her many moves to different foster care homes.

"Very true." Emma smiled. "So do you want to head off then kid?" Emma asked henry, swallowing the last of her hot chocolate.

"Yep, see you later August." Henry waved before running out of the door, Emma close behind him.

**I have a question for you all, Graham or August? Who should Emma be with? Neither? **


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm so sorry it's taken me this long to update but I had no idea where I wanted this story to go. I've sat and wrote a little plan of my ideas and I think I have a rough outline, so hopefully you will never have to wait this long again!**

**Enjoy!**

"Good morning Henry." Ms Blanchard smiled warmly at the boy as Emma and the child approached the school.

"Morning." Henry chirped happily.

"Have fun at school." Emma told the boy, trying to not think of how strange this all was.

"See you later Emma." Henry ran into school his back pack bouncing on his back.

"How are you?" Mary Margaret asked, Emma could tell that she felt bad for her about this morning's headline.

"I'll survive." She forced a smile before changing the subject. "Can I ask a question?" The teacher looked puzzled but nodded regardless.

"Is Henry happy?" Emma had been desperate for reassurance on this matter, she didn't know why she chose this woman to confide in but she felt as though she could. Maybe it was because she seemed to genuinely care for Henry.

"I would say yes, he is. Especially today, I don't think I've seen him so excited entering school. I guess it was a good morning?" The raven haired woman smiled at Emma's relieved look.

"Yeah, he's a great kid." Emma didn't know how she was meant to drag herself away from the boy after the week was up. She couldn't justify staying here any longer than that.

"He's very bright and so caring." As a teacher Mary Margaret tried not to have favourites but Henry had wormed his way into her heart.

"What about those stories? Do you think he's ok, believing them?" The woman frowned thinking of the stories and what she should tell this desperate woman.

"They're just stories and Henry is just a child. I'm sure he'll grow out of it, but if you're really worried maybe you could talk to Doctor Hopper." Mary Margaret could see how much the woman was worried about the young boy.

"Thanks, I'll do that." Emma smiled gratefully. "So who does he think you are?" Emma asked trying to lighten the mood.

"Oh it's silly." The woman blushed, shaking her head.

"Who?" Emma laughed a little, she was surprised how easy she found it to talk to this woman, she had only ever felt so relaxed around August.

"Snow White." Emma felt her stomach drop as the teacher said that name. The woman, who Emma believed throughout her childhood to be her mother, was standing a mere three foot away.

"Who does he think you are?" Mary Margaret asked not noticing Emma's inner turmoil.

"Oh… I'm not in the book." Emma replied shakily. "I, err, have to go. Bye." Emma called while rushing from the school and the slightly confused teacher.

"Ms Swan? What can I help you with?" The therapist looked twitchy as he let Emma into his office.

"I want to talk to you about Henry, you're his therapist right?" Emma was breathless from her speedy walk over to the office but she wasn't going to let that stop her. She needed to know that her son was safe.

"Yes, but I can't really discuss him with you."

"I know. I wanted to know if you think he's ok? I mean, he's not causing himself any harm believing in this fairy-tale stuff? Please I just need to know." Emma sighed, feeling slightly defeated. How was she meant to leave if she didn't know for sure if the boy was ok?

"I-" Archie sighed before walking over to a filing cabinet. "Here, take this. It's Henry's file; just make sure you return it."

Emma thanked him before rushing back to the inn with file in hand.

A knock on the door a few hours later startled Emma, who had been lost in Henry's file.

"A house call? You must be bored." Emma smirked seeing Graham at the door.

"This isn't a social call Emma. I'm here about Henry's file. Dr Hopper says that you went to his office today, caused a huge scene and then came back and stole the file." Emma's mouth dropped open in shock.

"You're kidding right?" One look at the sheriff's face gave her the answer.

"I can come back with a search warrant?" Graham asked when she didn't move.

"No need, is this what you're looking for?" Emma sighed leading the man in the room and towards the bed where the file lay. "I didn't do it. I'm being set up, Archie gave me that file."

Graham sighed before arresting Emma.

"This is Regina. You know that right?" The blond growled in frustration, what was wrong with that woman.

"Let's just get you down to the station." Emma sighed in anger, she hated that woman.

"Emma!" The woman looked up at the sound of her name. She had been in her cell for a couple of hours now and nothing else could have cheered her up more than Henry running towards her.

"Henry, what are you doing here?" She was delighted to see him but she couldn't imagine Regina being pleased if she knew where he was.

"We're here to bail you out!" The boy chirped happily.

That was when Emma noticed another person other than the Sherriff in the room with them. Mary- Margaret.

"Bail me out?" Emma now looked to the woman who she barely knew, who nodded. "Not that I'm not grateful but why?"

"I believe that you're innocent and I have a strong feeling that I can trust you. Does that sound crazy?" Emma shook her head; after all she had the same feeling about the woman herself.

While Mary Margaret was sorting things with Graham, Emma couldn't help but feel like a child in the principal's office being picked up by their parent.

"It's nice of her to bail you out isn't it?" Henry asked quietly so only she could hear.

"Yeah, it is." Emma couldn't remember the last time someone, other than August had done something like this for her. She was practically a stranger to this woman.

"Well she is your Mom, I wonder if she knows deep down who you are." Henry mused.

"You're free to go." Emma was saved answering Henry by Mary Margaret's smiling face.

"Try to stay out of trouble." Graham winked causing Emma to roll her eyes in annoyance.

"Thanks for bailing me out." Emma said as the three walked down the street. She couldn't help but look for some similarities between herself and this woman. Her chin was similar. Emma looked away before she noticed anything else. She was only seeing it because of those stupid stories.

"It's not a problem, honestly. I couldn't let you spend a night in a cell." Emma didn't mention that she had spent way more than one night in a jail cell.

"Can I buy you two a hot chocolate to say thanks?" Emma asked while Henry nodded in approval.

"Only if you ask Ruby to add cinnamon." Mary Margaret grinned, she couldn't explain the pull that connected her to this woman but she knew that they were meant to be friends.

"Cinnamon?" Emma squeaked.

"I know; it's a little strange but in my defence it tastes amazing!" Mary Margaret smiled, holding up her hands in mock defence causing Henry to giggle.

"Actually that's how Henry and I drink our coco too." Emma forced a smile.

Was she just seeing things because of the stories or was there actually some truth in them? She mentally scolded herself; she couldn't call liking the same drink as someone proof of a magical curse!

Emma wanted nothing more than sleep when entered the Inn after having hot chocolate with Mary Margaret and then dropping off Henry. The evening had been fun, Emma felt as though she had actually began to become friends with the woman.

"Emma." She heard Augusts call from behind her.

"You've just gotten back?" Emma thought he would have gotten back hours ago.

"Traffic was bad, I got back about twenty minutes ago. I went to check if you were at the diner, Ruby said you had just left, she told me what happened today." Emma couldn't bare the tortured look on Augusts face. "I should have been there, I could have-"

"Could have what? August, there would have been nothing you could have done. I'm not a little girl anymore; I don't need you to protect me. Just be my friend." Emma could tell that he was beating himself up over it. They may have been separated for ten years but she still knew him as well as she knew herself.

"But I-" Emma cut him off again, not wanting him to blame himself.

"It was nothing. It was just Regina trying to get rid of me. I'm thinking about cutting down her precious apple tree, want to help?" Emma asked in all seriousness.

"You're not kidding!" August laughed, shaking his head at the crazy woman.

"Not in the slightest!" Emma had never been as angry at anyone as she was at the mayor.

"That's probably not a good idea. She'd have you arrested; think about what that would do to Henry!" Emma huffed; she hated knowing he was right.

"I thought you were supposed to be Pinocchio, when did you become Jiminy Cricket?" August rolled his eyes as they headed up the steps towards their rooms.

After August disappeared behind his door Emma bumped into Granny on the steps.

"Err… Miss Swan. I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask you to leave. We have a no felon's policy." The old woman said; she seemed sympathetic which lead Emma to believe one thing.

"Let me guess. The mayor rang to remind you of that little clause?" Emma sighed in annoyance. The poor woman didn't say anything but Emma noticed that she did appear to be sorry for having to kick Emma out on the streets.

"I'm sorry." Granny said as she passed Emma on her way down the stairs.

The blond considered going to see August but soon changed her mind. Before she knew it she had collected her few belongings from her room and was sat in her chilly car with what August had brought over from Boston.

A lump rose in her throat before she forced in back down. She had been in far worse situations than this. Rummaging in one of the boxes that August had collected she found what she was looking for. Laying her seat back, she sat back wrapping her baby blanket tightly around her.


	12. Chapter 12

**Enjoy!**

_Knock, knock, knock._

Emma groaned, the annoying noise waking her from her restless slumber.

"Emma." She heard a woman's voice, muffled through the glass.

Mary Margaret stood outside the old Bug peering in the window.

"I didn't mean to scare you." The woman apologised.

"Don't worry about it." Emma mumbled, waiting for the woman to say what she was here to say.

"You're sleeping in your car." It wasn't a question; the woman had a way of making Emma want to prove herself. "What happened to staying at the inn?"

"They have a strict no felon's policy that the mayor so kindly reminded Granny of." Emma rolled her eyes and Mary Margaret looked extremely annoyed. Well as annoyed as well-mannered Mary Margaret could be.

"You can stay with me." She replied almost instantly, shocking both herself and Emma.

"Err… that's ok. I'm only staying for a week or so, I'll be fine." Emma felt uncomfortable with someone offering help.

"Well considering there's only one Inn in town you don't have many options, my spare room has to be better than your front seat. Besides, that man of yours, I doubt he'll be happy when he finds out you've spent the night in your car?" Emma blushed lightly at the mention of August.

"He's not _my _man." August was a friend!

"Well regardless of who he is or isn't, he still won't be happy. Plus Henry would only worry." The woman trailed off leaving Emma no choice but to accept her offer, she didn't know why it felt so important but she knew that Emma must stay in town.

"Thank you." Emma replied finally, not sure what she should say but she knew the woman was right. She couldn't spend the week in her car.

Mary Margaret wrote down an address and handed Emma her key, before the woman left for work.

Minutes later Emma spotted Henry chatting to August outside the dinner, both of them looking worried.

"Emma! Where have you been?" August was furious, he had been worried sick when he found her room empty and Granny told him what happened. "Granny said she had to ask you to leave."

"Relax I'm fine!" August always worried too much about her.

"You were kicked out of the only Inn in town." August snapped.

"You're not going to leave are you?" Henry panicked, interrupting the bickering adults.

"No, not yet. I'm staying with Mary- Margaret." Henry grinned at that and even August smirked a little.

"Should you not be on your way to school?" Emma asked the boy, feeling uncomfortable with the smug looks the boys were giving her.

"I have ten more minutes actually." Henry replied, a cheeky grin on his face.

"How about a slow walk to the bus stop then?" August suggested.

"Sure, we're going to the hospital today with Miss Blanchard. We're going to be volunteers." Henry grinned, excited to help out.

"That must be why she was leaving so early for work this morning." Emma mused.

"Maybe you moving in with Miss Blanchard will help with Operation Cobra." The boy wondered aloud.

"Maybe it will, maybe she'll remember something." August hoped that she would, from what he remembered of the young Queen she took control of a situation with grace and ease. However he doubted that the woman would wake up all because she moved in with her grown daughter.

"She's not my mother, she looks nothing like me." Emma muttered, she couldn't even begin to comprehend the possibility that Mary Margaret was her fairy tale mother that she had grew up hearing stories about. No, it was impossible.

"I don't know, you have her chin." August mused, completely serious. Emma cringed, she herself had had that very same thought.

"You get your hair from your father. I haven't managed to find him in Storybrook yet, but in my book he's blond." Henry remembered the pictures of the brave, blond man.

"Yes he was from what I remember. You have your mothers features Emma, whether you will admit it or not." Emma rolled her eyes at the pair. She knew that she couldn't say anything to convince them that this curse was crazy.

"Isn't that your bus, Henry?" The woman asked. The boy nodded and ran off waving goodbye.

Later that afternoon Emma sat on top of the castle, she could see Henry making his way towards her.

"I've found your dad!" He grinned as he climbed up and sat beside her.

"Huh?" Emma had not been expecting that.

"He's at the hospital, in a coma." He grabbed his backpack, pulling out his storybook and flipping the pages. "It makes sense really; I don't know why I didn't check there before now." He handed her the book.

The page he had opened it to was one showing a blond man sword fighting knights, holding what Emma knew to be a baby… supposedly her.

"While he was fighting to put you in the wardrobe he was stabbed, I guess he came to this world injured too. Apparently he was found at the side of a road, unconscious. Although no one knows how long he's been a patient!" Emma didn't want to know how Henry had found all this information out.

"Henry…" Emma wasn't sure how to approach the subject without upsetting Henry.

"I know that you don't believe yet but I think I might have an idea on how to wake him up!" Henry stood up, desperately trying to make his point.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Henry." Emma didn't want to be any part of this curse, she just couldn't.

"Look at you Princess of the castle." August grinned, walking towards the climbing frame.

"What are you doing here?" Emma had no idea how he had found them.

"I invited him." The boy said; he knew he needed help convincing Emma.

"Emma what's the worst that could happen?" August paused as though waiting for an answer. "A coma patient gets told a nice story? _Oh the horror!_" August rolled his eyes as Emma crossed her arms in annoyance.

"Please?" Henry's plea was the last straw.

"Fine. I'll talk to her tonight." Henry grinned and high fived August, who laughed and ruffled the child's hair.

"I have to go. My mom will be home soon." Henry waved bye and ran off in the direction of his house.

"He's a great kid, Em." August sighed as they watch Henry go happily home.

"I can't take credit for that." The woman sighed as she climbed down from the castle and began walking the way Henry had left.

"Where are you going?" August called after her.

"To talk to Mary Margaret!" She shouted without looking back.

When Emma let herself into the apartment she found her new roommate curled up on the sofa marking what Emma could only assume were school books.

"Hey roomie." Mary Margaret smiled, she couldn't remember how long she had lived alone and even though Emma had been there less than a day she still felt happier knowing she was there.

"Hey." Emma laughed, joining her on the sofa.

"I thought I'd find you here unpacking or something." The woman said while placing the pile of marking on the table.

"I don't have many things with me, besides I've been with Henry." The teacher smiled at the bond that was growing between Emma and her son. "He practically begged me to ask you something." Mary Margaret's forehead creased as she looked at Emma, waiting for her to carry on.

"Is this about John Doe?" She eventually asked.

"I don't know who he is but if he's the guy in a coma, then yes. He wants you to read to him." Emma felt bad putting her on the spot but maybe this was the one thing that could prove that there was no curse to Henry, August and even herself.

"Do you think it will help?"

"John Doe, no. Henry, maybe. If he sees that nothing happens when you read him the book then maybe he'll begin to realise that this whole curse theory is crazy."

"Then I'll do it." The woman was unsure why but she knew she'd do anything to help this woman and her son. "I'm going to the hospital tomorrow so I'll read to him then."

"Thanks Mary Margaret." Emma was grateful of the woman's help and just for the book.

"I'm going to go get settled in." She smiled, making her way up the stairs.

"Emma?" She turned to see Mary Margaret still on the couch with a nervous expression on her face. "What if he does wake up?"

"Then maybe we'll actually have to consider the possibility of a magical curse." She smirked, while Mary Margaret's face dropped at the possibility. "Don't look so worried, there's no such thing as magic."


	13. Chapter 13

**I just want to take a moment to thank everyone who has read, reviewed, favourite/followed this story. You're all amazing!**

**Now enjoy! **

"So she agreed to read to him?" August asked for the fourth time that afternoon.

They were sat in Mary Margaret's kitchen drinking coffee while Emma tried her hardest to ignore her friend's endless questions.

"Is she going to read the story, Emma?"

"Yes August, she's reading the damn book!" Emma snapped, throwing the empty cup in the sink.

"No need to snap. I'd hate to think what would happen if I'd asked a difficult question." The man rolled him eyes as the blond turned to glare at him.

"She should be back soon." Emma sighed; she didn't want to argue with him.

"You seem tense." August knew that Emma was attempting to cover up what she was feeling, he suspected that she was afraid that he might wake up, causing her to have to at least consider the possibility that the curse exists.

"I'm fine." They both knew she was anything but fine. August raised his eyebrows and tried his hardest to supress a grin.

"You just don't want to admit that I'm right." August said with a grin after a moment's silence.

"You're never right." Emma shot back.

"Not according to you, but you're too stubborn to accept that I'm right." He had missed their bickering.

Emma opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by the sound of the door opening and Mary Margaret's shouts.

"Emma! Emma! Emma!" All she was shouting was her name but Emma could hear the panic in just that.

"Mary Margaret what is it?!" She looked shocked, she was paler than usual and her overall appearance looked a little dishevelled.

"H- He, he woke up." The woman said breathlessly from running from her car, up the apartment steps all the while screaming for Emma.

"I knew it!" August cheered while Emma just stared blankly at the other woman.

"He's awake?" Emma asked her mouth almost on the floor in shock.

"Well no." Mary Margaret looked a little bashful. "I was reading him the story, about Snow White and Prince Charming, the one Henry told me to read and then out of nowhere his hand reaches out and he grabs my arm." She rubbed her arm as though she could still feel his hand around it.

"I went to fetch Dr Whale, he checked him over and told me I must have dosed off… but Emma I didn't! He grabbed my arm. I know it."

"It's ok, I believe you." Emma said softly.

"I better get going, things to do, people to see. Bye Emma, Mary Margaret." Emma knew he had nothing to do but he could see that they needed some space.

"Emma, what does this mean?" She asked desperately after August had left.

"I don't know but there has to be some logical explanation for it." She hoped at least.

"What?! Dr Whale couldn't find one and he has been John Doe's doctor for who knows how long!" Emma shrugged at a loss for words and the two women sat on the sofa side by side. "What about Henry's theory?" She spoke so softly that Emma barely heard her.

"I-" Emma shook her head as if to shake the crazy from her brain.

"Emma what are you thinking?" Mary Margaret worried.

"Henry wasn't the first one to tell me about the curse." Emma didn't know why she was telling Mary Margaret about what she had been told growing up, she had never shared it with anyone but she did feel like she could trust her. "For as long as I remember August has been telling me about the same curse."

"August believes in the curse?" Mary Margaret didn't know what to believe, she was an adult she wasn't supposed to even consider this.

"He's not crazy." Emma didn't want her to think any less of August.

"I believe you, I know August isn't crazy." The woman reached for Emma's hand, holding it reassuringly. "What exactly did August and Henry tell you?"

"That my parents put me in a magical wardrobe and sent me to this world to safe them." Emma sighed, it sounded sweet but it couldn't be real, right?

"You're part of the curse too?" Emma cursed mentally; she had forgotten that she had lied to Mary Margaret.

"Oh… yeah." Emma pulled her hand away, tying her hair up as an excuse.

"Who are you meant to be? Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Belle?" She asked naming a few Disney Princesses, trying to lighten the mood.

"Actually I'm apparently not that traditional. According to August and Henry I'm the saviour, daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming." Mary Margaret's eyes widened.

"Snow White has a kid?" She said, smiling lightly. "You'd think I'd remember that." She tried to joke but something inside her was taking this conversation to serious for her own liking.

"You'd think!" Emma rubbed her temples feeling a headache begin to develop.

"Did you ever believe?" Mary Margaret asked after a moment's silence.

"Yes. Which kid doesn't want to believe that she's some sort of Princess with loving parents out there somewhere? I was desperate to believe." Emma had never spoken about this with anyone, not even August.

"What about now?" The other woman whispered.

"Now…" Emma shook her head, sighing. "Of course not, how can I? How can he expect me to believe in a magical curse?!" Emma felt like screaming. She had spent the last ten years convincing herself that August was deluded but she knew he wasn't. She had known him her entire life, he wasn't crazy. "It's impossible Mary Margaret."

"I know." She sighed sadly; life would probably make more sense if they were all under a curse. Maybe that would explain everything she was feeling for an unconscious coma patient.

"I'm going to go for a walk." Emma left Mary Margaret to her own thoughts of magical kingdoms and evil curses.

Emma had been wondering the town for the last few hours, it had gotten dark and the temperature had dropped significantly. She had picked up a hot coco from Granny's and was sipping it as she walked along the outside of town.

She looked around, surprised to where she had wondered towards. She was standing in front of Henry's castle, subconsciously having come to their place. Well that's how she had begun to think of it.

"Em?" She turned from the castle and found August standing a few feet away. She must really be distracted; she hadn't even heard him approach her.

"Mary Margaret said you left hours ago, I've looked all over town. I couldn't reach you; you're phones switched off." August sounded worried, like he was unsure whether she was stable or not.

"I left it at the apartment, I wanted some alone time." She turned back around to face the castle and the open water that lay behind it.

"Yeah well you've had three hours of alone time, now you need to talk to me." Emma knew it was immature but she pretended not to hear him regardless, instead she walked a little further forward and took a seat on the ground, leaning back to use the castle as a backrest.

August didn't hesitate he had followed and sat beside her in a matter of seconds. He was smart enough to leave a few feet of space between them.

"You're mad?" August wasn't sure what she was exactly mad about, neither was Emma but they both knew she was.

"I'm not mad." Emma muttered she really wished he'd leave her alone; she just wanted to not think for a night.

"You're right. You're a little ray of sunshine, like always." August rolled his eyes and the pair sat in silence.

Eventually August shifted along closer to Emma so their shoulders touched.

"Em, I'm sorry. I don't mean to push you." August said softly, he meant it but it didn't change the fact that she had a destiny to fulfil, a town full of people to save.

"Just forget it, I'm fine." Emma was far from fine but she didn't want her friend feeling bad about it and she certainly didn't want to talk about it.

"Emma, what did you and Mary Margaret talk about?" Emma could tell he was hesitant in asking her this but she really wished he hadn't asked.

"Why does it matter?" Emma didn't want to talk about the curse.

"It matters. If we can get her to believe then maybe you can wake her up-" August didn't see the growing anger on Emma's face before she cut him off.

"Can you not just drop it?" Her temper flared, she sat up straighter pulling herself away from him.

"No it's important, you're important." He stressed as he turned his body to face her, they were both still sitting on the ground.

"What if I don't want to be? Huh, what then?" Emma was sick of hearing about how this town needed her.

"Being the saviour isn't a choice Emma. It's your destiny!" August said, his voice rising slightly.

"Says you!" Emma said sharply, standing up and moving away from August. The man rose from the ground and faced the angry blond.

"Emma this isn't some stupid thing I came up with when I was a kid! This is real and the sooner you realise this then the better it will be for everyone! Stop running scared and face it!" August rarely lost his temper but Emma's stubbornness was one thing that could set him off.

"I don't want it. I don't want any of it." Tears glistened in her eyes and he felt guilty for upsetting her but she had to believe. Fulfilling her destiny wasn't going to be easy.

"Maybe not now but you will." They were both shouting now, August was glad that they were on the outskirts of town so no one could hear their heating discussing.

"I won't August! I'll never want it!" Emma screamed, tears beginning to cascade down her cheeks.

"Then why are you staying?" He challenged her.

"For Henry!" Emma sobbed. "I may have signed him over to that woman but he's still my son. I need to know that he's happy!" They both aware that that was the first time she had acknowledged him as her son and not Regina's.

"You can make everyone happy, Em. You're their only hope!" It was August's job to make her believe and he was failing.

"If I'm you're only hope then you're all screwed." Emma turned and stormed away.

"Emma!" She didn't turn or even acknowledge him calling her name. He wondered guiltily if this was what she felt like when he walked out of that hospital room ten years before.

**Don't worry they can't stay mad at each other forever!**


End file.
